Here We Go Again
by 00zags
Summary: [Takes place between Part I and Part II so some spoilerage] Sakura's been paired up with two new teammates in order to participate in the Chuunin exams. But will their own conflicts get in the way of their teamwork? Ch. 10 up, third battle of 3rd exam.
1. All Alone Again

Oh, look! It's the beginning of my uber cool brand new Naruto fan fic! TADA!

I finally got around to doing one of these. Anyways, yea, the intro explains most of it. Key word: _most_ of it. There'll be plenty of flashbacks in true Naruto style. XD

Also, be warned but I totally BS-ed most of the stuff about how the Chuunin exams are run, so don't take my word for it. And feel free to correct me. But do it nicely. Also, don't flame me for people who get eliminated in the 3rd exam (It could happen to anyone. . . ) or people who just plain don't participate. (Yes, some mains will not participate this time around. Deal with it.)

And one final note, I need more characters to participate in the Chuunin exams. This means… TA DA! OC submissions! Submit your OCs and if I feel like using them, I will. (Meaning if I think they are of the caliber needed to appear in this fic. XD) They really won't become important until the 3rd exam so you have some time. But if you are going to submit them, then follow the following format:

Name:  
Age:  
Gender:  
Village: (Remember I'm gonna need at least three to form a team, so please pick something legit.)  
Personality:  
Moves: (PLEASE BE DESCRIPTIVE! If you aren't and I screw it up, it's your own fault.)

With all that said and done, let's get this show on the road, eh?

* * *

It was a gray day. There was a slight drizzle and the occasional breeze was cold and biting. The dark clouds that hung overhead matched Sakura Haruno's mood as she sat by herself at the Ichiraku Ramen stand. She absentmindedly stirred her rapidly cooling off Ramen, staring at the counter a few feet in front of her. Besides the stand's staff and another boy, who was happily enjoying his meal, the stand and the streets around it were deserted.

The events of the past few months weighed heavily on Sakura's mind. Her training with the new Hokage, Tsunade, had kept her fairly busy, but it hadn't been enough to completely erase the loneliness she felt. Naruto had set off for his training with Jiraiya just about four months ago, but it seemed as though it had been ages since she had last seen him. And Sasuke…

Sakura sighed and set down her chopsticks, placing her chin on her crossed arms, her depression deepening. What she wouldn't give to see either of them again…

"You gonna eat that?"

Sakura was a bit startled at the sudden question and glanced up to see the only other customer present beaming at her. She half-heartedly shoved her bowl toward him. "Here," she muttered.

The boy nodded his thanks, set himself down in the seat next to her and began avidly tucking into her Ramen. Sakura watched him for a moment. _So much like Naruto_, she thought, smiling for a second. The boy spotted her expression and stopped eating long enough to smile back.

Sakura straightened up and stretched, trying to get rid of the small cramp she had developed from being hunched over the counter so long. _A walk might do me some good. It beats just sitting around here anyway…_ She began to dig around in her hip pack for her money, when a hand grabbed her arm. She looked up rather quickly, an expression of alarm written across her face. It quickly faded however. The boy at the counter released her arm and said, "I've got it."

Sakura began to protest. "Oh, it's alright, I--"

The boy shook his head. "No, it's not. It's unfair to pay for something you didn't eat. 'Sides…" He patted his stomach, grinning. "I've gotta thank you somehow."

Sakura said nothing for a moment. _Well, he may eat like Naruto, but he sure is more grateful than him._ "OK, thank you," she said, flashing a quick smile and then walking away briskly.

"No problem," the boy called after her, waving a hand. He quickly turned back to the remains of Sakura's Ramen, polishing it off in a few good swipes of his chopsticks.

Sakura headed off down the street, feeling a good bit better. She glanced up at where the sun was starting to peek out from behind the clouds. _Funny…_ she thought. _I never asked his name…

* * *

_

The mood of the village changed with the weather. Before long, the streets were mildly busy again as the dark clouds faded to a lighter shade and the sun shone out from behind them. Sakura weaved her way through several young Academy students, who were chattering away to each other about the day's events. She turned back and watched them walk off for a second, smiling a bit as she remembered her days at the Academy.

"You're looking a bit more cheery since the last time I saw you," a voice behind her observed.

Sakura jumped a little and whirled around. "Are you ever going to stop sneaking up on me, Kakashi-sensei?!"

Hatake Kakashi merely smiled back at her, his face partially obscured by the usual mask. Sakura sighed. Some things never changed. The two of them began walking down the street together. "So where've you been for the past few weeks?" Sakura asked. "I heard you were escorting Hokage-sama somewhere."

Kakashi nodded. "I was. Just got back a few hours ago."

"What was it all about?" Sakura asked, curious.

If Kakashi's face was fully visible, the mischievous grin would have been plain as day. "I could tell you… or I could just let Hokage-sama tell you herself. She wants you to meet her at Training Ground 6 as soon as possible."

"What?! And you wait until now to tell me?!" Sakura dashed off down the street in the direction of the specified area. She yelled back over her shoulder. "I swear, one of these days…!!"

Kakashi watched her run off. "Nice to see you again too."

* * *

Tsunade stood in the middle of an open area surrounded by trees, mostly known as Training Ground 6. She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced up at the clearing sky. _Where's Sakura? I was sure that Kakashi would deliver my message…_ Any further reflection on the subject was broken by Sakura rushing up out of breath.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but Kakashi-sensei only just let me know and…"

Tsunade waved a hand, silencing the girl. "Yes, I figured it might something like that. And I already told you, no 'Hokage-sama' when we're alone. It makes me feel like I'm back at work…"

"Oh sorry, Tsunade-sama…" Sakura muttered, blushing slightly at her slip-up.

Tsunade smiled at her pupil. "That's alright. You'd think I'd be used to the title by now. But anyway, now for the real reason I wanted you to come here. We're going to continue our training."

Sakura glanced up, surprised. "But, Tsunade-sama, didn't you just get back from a long trip? Don't you need to rest?"

Tsunade waved a hand airily. "I'll get some rest later. I feel this training is very important for right now. We're going to be taking a break from the regular medical jutsu and learn something new."

Sakura watched obediently as her teacher walked up a nearby tree. "Now watch closely, Sakura…" Tsunade brought her right arm back, hand clenched into a fist, then let it come shooting forward toward the tree. The tree was literally pulverized on contact. Sakura put up an arm to protect herself from the flying splintery debris. When the dust cleared, a good section of the tree was eradicated, the upper part falling backwards into its neighbors and a jagged stump remaining rooted in the ground.

Sakura's eyes widened in amazement. "Wow…"

Tsunade flicked a splinter off her sleeve. "Pretty impressive, huh?" Sakura nodded silently, still slightly in shock. "Well, you're going to do it… hopefully."

Sakura's silence broke into an excited babble. "Really, Tsunade-sama? Wow, I never thought that anyone could do something like that, well no one maybe except you Tsunade-sama but then again I never really knew you could do it either so--"

"Enough! Enough!" Tsunade said, waving her hands. "If you don't stop talking, you'll never learn the technique!"

Sakura shut up, but not before uttering one quick "Sorry."

Tsunade took a breath before beginning again. "Alright, this technique requires a high amount of chakra control, the same as most medical techniques, but it also requires split second timing. You have to build up chakra in your fist and then release at the precise moment in order to achieve the desired effect. Now," she said motioning to Sakura. "Try and do as I have explained."

Sakura nodded and took up a position near another tree. She formed a hand-seal in order to build up her chakra for a moment. Then she brought her fist back, ready for a punch. She was about to launch it at the tree when she thought of something. "Tsunade-sama, when _is _the precise moment?"

Tsunade smiled at her. "I'll let you figure that out for yourself."

Sakura huffed a little. It wasn't the answer she had been looking for. But nonetheless, she readied herself again and this time launched into the attack. "_Hrrr-ah!"_ She tried releasing the chakra just after her fist struck the tree, figuring that the explosion would blow the tree apart. What she got out of the bargain was a badly bruised fist. "Ow…" she muttered, shaking off her hand for a second. "Well, _that _didn't work out too well…"

Tsunade laughed a little. "It takes a bit to get it right. Keep trying and I'll help you out along the way."

For the next three hours, Sakura continued working on perfecting this technique, varying the timing of her chakra release as well as the way in which she released it. Finally, just when she thought her hand was about ready to fall off, she managed to rip a large jagged chunk out of the tree.

Tsunade nodded in approval. "Good, I think that's enough for today. I'll see to that hand before you go home."

Sakura was too tired to say anything, but she nodded gratefully and plopped down on the ground, leaving against the tree she had been practicing on while Tsunade knelt beside her and began binding her bruised and slightly swelling hand. "Tsunade-sama?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you think it was important for me to learn this now?"

Tsunade once again smiled. "Ah, now you've gotten to another reason why I wanted to see you today. You know I was away for a while, don't you?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, and Kakashi-sensei went with you. He told me that."

"Well, the reason I went away was to meet with the Kages of the other villages of this country to plan the next Chuunin exams." Sakura's heartbeat quickened at this, but she kept silent allowing Tsunade to continue. "We all agreed that, given the circumstances surrounding the last Chuunin exams, Konoha be allowed to host them again this time, to sort of make up for the 'mishap.' They will be held in two weeks time."

_I wouldn't exactly call it a mishap…_ Sakura thought. _That was where everything started that led up to where I am now… and where the rest of my team is._ Another question hit her. "But Tsunade-sama, I can't participate, can't I? I mean, I'm only a one man team at the moment, so…"

"We have thought of that," Tsunade said in a tone that denoted she was excited about this whole thing. "So we have arranged for two new team members to be added to Cell 7."

"Oh…" Sakura had mixed feelings regarding this new information. She gazed out at the setting sun as she weighed her feelings. _At least I won't be alone anymore! And I can participate in the Chuunin exams! But… they'll never replace Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun…_

Tsunade seemed to sense her conflict. "I know this may be hard to get used to, but it is for the best. We made sure to assign Genin who are on your level, maybe even above it. So don't worry…" Tsunade smiled again. "You'll have a fighting chance."

Sakura smiled back. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

"You're quite welcome. Now then, you'll meet your new members tomorrow morning at the Academy. I'll leave information as to exactly where at the entrance for you. Keep in mind that the new members don't know who their teammates will be either. They just know they're being specially assigned. Now go get some rest," Tsunade said, helping Sakura up.

"Alright, but only if you promise to get some too!"

Tsunade laughed. "It's a deal."

Sakura left the Training Ground that evening with the same sense of happiness she had had when she left the Ramen stand. _First that boy and now Tsunade-sama. It seems like everyone knows just what to say. Though I do wonder what kind of people my new teammates will be…? I guess the only way to find out is to go home, get some sleep, and show up at the Academy tomorrow.

* * *

_

And the only way for you to find out is stay tuned for the next chapter. So what do you think? Good so far? I definitely think it's the best thing I've ever written. But it's all up to you. Please review and submit your OCs. (No, they won't be the new teammates. I've already got that covered.) 'Till next we meet, later days!


	2. New Teammates!

Hey, it's Ch.2! Woohoo… yea… OK, enough of that. I'm so sad!! T-T No one reviewed! Ah well, maybe this new chapter will bring many many readers. (I hope, I hope.)

Anyways, last time we left off Sakura found out she was going to have two new members assigned to her team due to the absence of the originals. And I'm sure you're just as anxious as she is to find out who they are. So I'll stop babbling on and let you get to that. Enjoy!

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and clear as Sakura made her way towards the Academy. She weaved through the early morning crowd, eager to get to the building and meet her new teammates. 

As she went, she wondered what kind of people they would be? _Maybe one of them will be like Naruto-kun? Loud, obnoxious, but a determined fighter. Or maybe like Sasuke-kun? One of the best at what he does. Or of course, they could be totally different, or maybe even a mix of both._ Sakura tried hard to envision someone that was like both Naruto and Sasuke, but gave up. The personalities contradicted each other too much.

Upon arriving at the Academy entrance, Sakura was surprised to see both Kakashi and Tsunade standing outside waiting for her. "Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?"

"Well, it is my team too, isn't it?" Kakashi said, as if it were obvious. "Or did you forget?"

Sakura put her hands on her hips and frowned. "Yes, I know that. What I meant is what are you doing here _on time?_"

Kakashi's masked face bore a hurt expression. "I wanted to find out who my new team members are. That doesn't deserve being here on time?"

"It didn't for us," Sakura muttered, remembering the first time they had met Kakashi, arriving a couple hours late to receive a bonk on the head from an eraser.

"Alright, that's enough, you two," Tsunade interjected. "If we keep standing out here talking, we'll never get to it. Now then…" She beckoned with a hand. "Come on in and we'll get started."

Sakura hurried forward after Tsunade and Kakashi into the building. They walked down a long hallway into a vacant classroom. Inside there were four chairs set up in a square. There was also a door on either side of the room.

"Ready?" Tsunade asked. Sakura nodded nervously. Kakashi nodded briefly. "You two can come in now!" Tsunade shouted, apparently to the two new members because soon after she did, the two doors on either side of the room opened and two boys walked in, one on either side.

For a moment, the two completely ignored all over occupants in the room, being more engaged with each other. The boy on the left, with whitish-blond hair, glared daggers across the room at the other brown-haired boy, who simply raised an eyebrow.

_They must know each other,_ Sakura decided. _And from the looks of it, the blond one doesn't like the other too much._ Then suddenly something hit her like a bolt of lightning. _My gosh! That brown haired boy is the same one I met at the Ramen stand yesterday!_ Apparently, the boy made the same recognition because he winked at her, rubbing his stomach.

There was a long pause after this, broken by Tsunade. "Well then, I think I'll let you four get acquainted." She left the room, but not before shooting a warning glance at the blond boy, who merely rolled his eyes at her.

Another silence followed during which both boys continued facing off at each other. Sakura felt a nudge at her back and looked up at Kakashi, surprised. He nodded his head toward the center of the room, where the chairs were set up. "Go on," he said quietly. "You're the one who'll be putting up with them more."

Sakura took a deep breath before stepping out toward the center. She felt both pairs of eyes upon her. She smiled weakly. "Shouldn't we sit down then?" she asked.

To her relief, the two boys said nothing but moved to the chairs, keeping their eyes on each other the entire time. The brown haired one sat down and immediately went into a slouched, comfortable position. The blond one sat straight with his arms crossed in the chair across from the other. Sakura took the far seat and Kakashi remained standing behind the last chair.

Sakura noticed that both boys seemed to be at least two, possibly three, years older than her. _That's strange…_ she thought. _Tsunade-sama said that they would be on my level and _maybe_ above it. At that age, they'd be way above me._

The blond boy wore a loose, short orange tunic with yellow lining and a blue shirt underneath. He had plain long white pants and his forearms and hands were wrapped, much like Lee's. His white-blond hair was partially wavy and partially spiked, coming down to halfway down his neck and leaning over to one side. One section of hair was out in front of his forehead protector.

The brown haired boy wore an olive colored T-shirt, the sleeves of which were shredded and uneven. Over this he wore a tan vest with a pocket on either side. To complete his outfit he had long tan shorts and gloves like Kakashi's only his extended down onto his forearm and had an extra longer metal plate over this area. His lower legs were wrapped. His hair was short and spiked out into two bangs over his bare forehead and also at the back of his neck into four long points, two on either side, the top one being longer the bottom. It took Sakura a minute to find his forehead protector but she finally noticed it hanging flat against his side from a belt loop in his shorts. One thing Sakura noticed now that she hadn't when she first met him was his eyes. They were the plain pale color that denoted one carrying the Kekkei Genkai of the Hyuuga clan.

The brown haired one started things straight off, introducing himself as "Hyuuga Kaio. And that guy over there," he continued, pointing across to the blond boy, "is Ryuzaki Onaki. But you can call him 'Aki.'" He grinned at Onaki. "Right, _Aki-kun_?"

"Shut up," was Onaki's only reply. Kaio seemed to find this quite funny.

"Did I mention he hates that name?" Kaio laughed while Onaki fumed. Sakura laughed tentatively. _Kaio-san doesn't seem like any other Hyuuga I've met…_

"Anyway," Kaio said, breaking off from his laughter. "You know our names, so what're yours?"

Sakura glanced at Kakashi who gave her a nod. "I'm Haruno Sakura and this is Kakashi-sensei. Pleased to meet you," she added.

Onaki grunted and turned partially away. Sakura looked crestfallen. "Don't mind him," Kaio said, waving a hand. "He's more upset about me than about you."

"Why would he be?" Sakura asked.

Kaio was about to answer when Onaki muttered, "'Cause he's a filthy stinkin' rat…"

Kaio merely beamed at him. "Oh you're too kind. So yea, maybe I did rat you out, but you deserved it."

Sakura was increasingly becoming lost. "What…?"

Kaio sighed. "OK, maybe I should explain this from the beginning. You don't mind if I tell it, do you Aki-kun?" Without waiting for a reply, he went on. "Thanks. OK, so here we were about… oh I'd say, two years or so ago and it was during our first try at the Chuunin exams…"

* * *

_Onaki rushed into the hospital room where Kaio was staying. "I did it! I made it to the finals!!"_

_Kaio levered himself up slowly into a sitting position, but a smile was all over his face. "That's great, Aki-kun! I knew you could do it."_

_Onaki sat himself on the edge of the bed. "Yea well, I'm only sorry you got eliminated. You're OK, right?"_

_Kaio shrugged. "Just a couple bruises, a few minor cuts, and one big lump on my head. That guy just got lucky with his last move and knocked me out cold."_

"_You'll come watch me in the finals, won't you Kaio-kun? They're a month from now."_

"_A month? Wow, I never thought it'd be that long…"_

"_Hokage-sama said that the time was for us to train in preparation for it."_

"_I guess that makes sense. But it sure is a long time to wait. But you'll train and I'll help. We'll make sure you become a Chuunin!"_

_**One month later**_

"_Aki-kun? Hey, Aki where are you?" Kaio wandered through the lower level of the stadium where the finals of the Chuunin exams were about to take place. _C'mon, _he thought¸_ he's gotta be around here somewhere. I just want to wish him good luck before the finals begin. _Kaio rounded a corner and was pretty sure he heard voices, one of which sounded like Onaki's. He grinned and hurried down the corridor. He stopped just before turning another corner, around which he was sure the voices were coming from. He glanced around the corner, wanting to make sure it was Onaki. It was, but he was with one of the proctors for the upcoming part of the exam. Kaio listened closely._

"_All I'm asking is that you call my match early. When I'm winning."_

"_What am I supposed to get out of this?"_

_Onaki threw a fair-sized sack on the ground in front of the proctor. The proctor picked it up and weighed in it his hands, whistling. "You are pretty desperate…"_

"_I have to make sure I win… at any cost."_

_Kaio stood with his back against the wall, breathing hard. _What does Aki think he's doing?! Bribing one of proctors is against the rules! I've gotta tell someone! But… he's my best friend… Agh, what should I do?!_ Kaio shoved off the wall and went running down the corridor toward the exit._

_

* * *

_

"So… what did you do?" Sakura asked.

"I told a Jonin about it," Kaio said simply. "Aki and the proctor got thrown out of the exams and Aki was forbidden from participating in the next five times the exams were held. This is the first chance he has after that ban. That event pretty much ended our friendship, or at least according to him."'

Onaki had been silent up to this point, but now he spoke. "A real friend doesn't turn in his companions," he spat.

"He does if he knows they're doing the wrong thing," Kaio answered calmly. "'Sides, it was for your own good. And now look at us! In the same cell! Never would've come to this if I hadn't turned you in."

"It would've been better that way…" Onaki muttered. "Are we done yet?"

This time Kakashi decided to step in. "We are if you want us to be. I, for one, think this was a very enlightening time. We'll meet again tomorrow to begin training as a team for the upcoming exams. 'Till then." Kakashi walked out with a wave. Onaki closely followed him, but turned in a different direction. Kaio and Sakura were left alone in the room.

"What did he mean by that…? 'Enlightening?'" Sakura wondered out loud.

Kaio shrugged. "Probably some junk about our personalities." He grinned at her. "Wanna go out for some Ramen to celebrate? My treat. That is…" He winked at her. "As long you're actually going to eat it this time."

Sakura laughed. "I'd like that. And I promise to eat it."

Kaio pulled a mock-disappointed face. "Dang, I thought I was gonna get two bowls again!"

The two of them laughed as they walked out of the room together. _I guess this is pretty nice,_ Sakura thought. _Kaio-san is somewhat like Naruto but he has manners to balance it out. And Onaki-san is a bit like Sasuke, but…_ _Sasuke wasn't nearly as harsh… most of the time._ _I wonder what kind of jutsu Onaki uses? Well, in any case…_ She glanced over at Kaio. _It sure feels good not to be alone anymore.

* * *

_

TADA! Wondrous, magical OC teammates! What'd you think of them? Kudos to my sis for designing Onaki's outfit and the cool pic I have of him hanging over my computer. I can't describe it to you or else that would give something away. It's just one of many pictures pasted on my wall of fame. XD Yes, Kaio's up there too. Maybe later I'll try putting up a link or something to them... Anyways, you've read, so now review! Later days!


	3. Polar Opposites

Chapter 3…! Tee hee… …I suck as intros. Read on, good readers… if there are any this time. T-T

* * *

"No, really? They _kissed_?! Like kissed, kissed, kissed?!"

Sakura nodded, giggling through a mouthful of Ramen. She and Kaio were back at the Ichiraku Ramen stand. She was in the middle of relating her first day on team with Naruto and Sasuke. Kaio laughed uproariously. "Aw, that had to suck for them…" He scooped up another bunch of noodles and slurped them down.

Sakura swallowed quickly before going on. "Yea, it was a complete accident, but I was completely ticked off at Naruto-kun… and grossed out at the same time."

Kaio didn't look up from his Ramen. "What, you wished it was you there instead of him?"

Sakura was a bit flustered for a moment. "No, I just… well, that is… I…" She caught Kaio's look. "Oh alright…" she admitted. "Yes I did."

Kaio shrugged. "Just figured. From what I hear, Sasuke had quite a following. Nearly every girl in the village, I'd say."

Sakura smiled. "Pretty much."

"Yea…" He dragged a noodle around the edge of his bowl before scooping it into his mouth. "You still miss both of them, don't you?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes… but it feels good talking about them to you, Kaio-san."

Kaio put up a hand. "Please, 'kun.' 'San' makes me feel like an old guy."

"Alright then, Kaio-kun."

"OK then, Sakura-chan…"

There was an awkward silence. Sakura broke it, coughing a little. "So… why are _you_ assigned to this team now? I understand why Onaki-san would be, but…"

Kaio put up his hands. "Alright you got me. There was really only one reason. Ya see, back in the day I was quite the little prankster. But one day I took it too far. My sensei didn't have much of a sense of humor. He was so mad about the prank I pulled that he couldn't even speak." A wry smile appeared on Kaio's face. "Or it might have been that his tongue was so badly burned form all the hot spices I put in his Ramen."

Sakura stifled a giggle. Kaio nodded at her. "Ya see? At least you understand it. But Sensei thought it was outrageous and had me removed from his team."

"Oh… I'm sorry, Kaio-kun."

Kaio waved a hand airily. "Feh, it's alright. Some people just don't appreciate life enough."

Just then, two older Genin happened to be strolling past and spotted Kaio. "Hey look! The Reject's back!" one shouted pointing.

Kaio sighed and turned his attention seemingly to his Ramen, but Sakura noticed he was rummaging in his side holster.

The other Genin called over. "Hey, Reject, is that your girlfriend? She must be really lame to fall for you!"

Sakura was just about ready to get up and give the two a piece of her mind when something shot past her. Two kunai with tags streaming out behind sailed through the air and buried themselves in a tree directly behind the two Genin. She glanced at Kaio who apparently hadn't moved a muscle.

The two Genin continued their jeering, plucking the kunai out of the tree. "Heh, you call that a throw! No wonder you're such a reject."

"Yea! And you call these tags? They're not even attached right. Still it's just what I'd expect from a _reject_!"

"Oh why don't you go home and wash out your mouths," Kaio said, turning to face the two finally. "And the rest of your faces while you're at it." He made a single hand seal and the two tags exploded, staining both of the two Genin's faces with ink. They dropped the kunai and ran off down the street rubbing at their faces, shouting threats and insults back. "Oh get a life…" Kaio muttered, turning back to the counter. "Sorry you had to be a part of that, Sakura."

"What was that all about anyway?"

"Oh nothing. You know some people," Kaio shrugged. "Check please," he added quickly to the stand's staff. He laid the money down without bothering to count it. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

"Huh?" Sakura asked, confused. "Hey! Wait up!" For Kaio was already a good distance away. _There must be something more to what those boys were calling him. 'Reject…?'_ Sakura finally caught up to Kaio who was walking rather quickly, hands in pockets, and watching the ground a few feet in front of him. "What's wrong, Kaio-kun?"

"Oh nothing…" Kaio said for a second time. "It's alright. I'm used to it."

"Was that because of what you told me about?" Sakura ventured after a moment.

"No…" Kaio said. He continued on in a mumble that Sakura could barely pick up. "It's been so long… I'd nearly forgotten…"

Sakura got the feeling that this was a subject she shouldn't press him on. "Shouldn't we head home then?" she suggested. "We'll start training tomorrow." Kaio didn't answer. "Kaio-kun?"

"Huh? Oh yea, sure. Go home…" He began walking off without so much as a good-bye. Sakura watched him leave. _That was strange… I've only known him for a short time, but I know that that's not normal for him…_ There wasn't much else she could do about it at the moment, so she went home, preparing for the next day's training.

* * *

The next morning, Sakura arrived at the same training ground she had at with Tsunade the other day. Kaio and Onaki were already there, having received the same notice from Kakashi that Sakura had, and Onaki was ignoring Kaio as usual. Kaio greeted her with a warm smile, showing no trace of yesterday's temporary gloom. "Good morning, Sakura-chan!" he said. "Now we just need to wait for Kakashi-sensei."

"Don't even bother," Sakura said. "Knowing him, he'll probably turn up a few hours from now. Let's just get started."

With a parting "Hmph," Onaki walked away into a section of trees by himself. Kaio just watched him go. "Hmm… he's being more reclusive than usual. Must be the exams coming up. Well, anyway, what should we start with? You wanna spar a bit?"

Sakura's eyes lit up. "Alright, but I won't go easy on you!"

Kaio smirked, getting in a fighting position. "That's just what I like to hear. We'll leave this just to hand-to-hand. No ninja tools or jutsu. Don't wanna give away too many special moves before the exams, just in case we fight each other in the 3rd."

Sakura nodded, getting herself into position. "Definitely."

"Ready… begin!"

The two rushed at each other. Sakura went right for a punch at Kaio's face, but Kaio bent backwards out of the way with surprising ease, not even breaking his stride as he went right past her. Both skidded to a stop a fair distance away from each other, but on the opposite side from which they started. A moment's pause, and much to Sakura's surprise, Kaio relaxed. He stuck his hands in his pockets, and then stared across at her as if he still expected her to attack.

"What's wrong, Kaio-kun?" she asked.

"Oh nothing," he replied coolly. "Aren't you going to come again?"

Sakura thought a moment. _He looks as though he totally lowered his defenses, but that could just be a ploy to lure me into some kind of trap… though I can't really see how he could pull his hands out of his pockets quick enough without me noticing…_ She made up her mind rather soon after that. "Alright, you're asking for it! Here I go!" She dashed straight at him, but he never left his relaxed position. Sakura smirked. _I've got him…_ She unleashed a combo of punches and kicks at Kaio's mid section. But she only found herself swiping at air. "Huh?"

"Where are you aiming?" came a voice from beneath her. Sakura had a vague recollection of here something similar before, but not directed at her. She looked down to see Kaio lying on the ground just in front of her, hands behind his head. "Guess it's my turn, then." Kaio quickly rolled over and went into a sweep kick.

Sakura easily avoided it by jumping quickly. "That's it?" she taunted.

"Not quite." Sakura had only a moment to think before she was blindsided by Kaio's foot on her cheek. Kaio was propping himself up on his hands and doing a propeller kick. Sakura was still a bit dazed when the next came around, more direct and it knocked her over onto her back. "Here comes the finisher!" Kaio launched himself straight up into the air using his hands. Sakura was just coming out of her daze when he came down, both feet ahead of him. Sakura winced, closing her eyes, and bracing for the impact, but there was none, expect a loud thump right next to her ear. She opened her eyes to see Kaio grinning at her. "I decided to be nice this time," he said, holding out a hand to help her up. "Unless you wanted your face smashed in just in time for the Chuunin exams."

"I'll pass…" Sakura muttered, but still smiling a little bit. She took his hand and stood up. "I guess you win."

"Just maybe," Kaio responded, still smiling. There was a silence broken by applause. Both looked over to see Kakashi arriving along with Team Gai. Gai was the one clapping.

"An excellent example of the power of youth," he exclaimed. "Still agile as ever, eh, Kaio?"

Kaio bowed slightly. "Yes, thank you, Gai-sensei."

Sakura was left in the dark yet again. "Ok, you two know each other, too?"

Kaio nodded. "Let's just say I tagged along with Gai-sensei's team during my brief hiatus from my own team." He turned to the other three Genin present and nodded to each of them in turn. "Lee-kun…" Lee saluted enthusiastically. "Tenten-chan…" Tenten looked up from where she had been going through her arsenal and flashed a smile before going back to it. "And Neji-kun…" Neji scarcely gave Kaio a glance, turning and walking away. Kaio shrugged. "He's always like that. So why are you here anyway?"

Kakashi answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well… it seem that when I told you to come to this training ground today, I'd forgotten that Gai's team had already reserved it. Sorry…"

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "And you couldn't have showed up earlier to tell us this?"

Kakashi mumbled something about being busy before hastily changing the subject. "Well, Gai, you've met one of the two new ones. But where's the other, I wonder? Late too?"

Kaio shook his head. "Aki-kun went back thataways somewhere. Oh, you can see the smoke…!" Kaio pointed to where smoke was rising in thin streams toward the sky. "Guess we'd better go get him, huh?"

Kakashi nodded and Kaio beckoned for Sakura to follow him. "C'mon, we might catch him in the middle of one of his moves!"

Gai watched the two head off and motioned for his own team to begin their exercises before turning to Kakashi. "So… Ryuzaki Onaki is the third member of your team now?"

Kakashi nodded. "Small world, isn't it?"

Gai frowned. "I would advise you to keep an eye on him. With the history between Kaio and him…"

Kakashi put up a hand. "I've got it covered. He hasn't tried anything yet, and I personally don't think he will. Kaio may have ruined his reputation, not to mention their friendship, but he's too focused on the exams to think about anything else right now. For instance, yesterday after the team got together, I followed him and he went straight to training. Trained until dark too. He's dead set on doing well in this exam to scrape up what little reputation he has left."

"He's still using that special Taijutsu then?" Gai asked.

"Yes, and he's using your moves mixed in with it. I must say, though, he is quite skilled. Maybe even more so than…"

"Nonsense," Gai interrupted flatly. "Lee has trained just as hard, even more so. And Lee has heart, Onaki doesn't. He only cares for winning and the like."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kaio and Sakura had walked a fair distance and arrived upon a strange sight. In the middle of the grove of trees, there was a clearing. Around the clearing lay splintered and charred trees, some still smoking. "Did Onaki-san do all this?" Sakura asked in amazement.

Kaio nodded grimly. "Yup. Aki uses a special Fire Style Taijutsu. Very dangerous. Even if you manage to block the punch or kick, you still get a blast of fire in your face. Plus he can use Ninjutsu to make it stronger."

Sakura gazed around the scene again. It was hard to believe that one Genin could cause this much damage…

"He must be pretty mad to beat up the terrain this much…" Kaio commented.

"Huh?" Sakura looked up.

"If Aki-kun's ticked off about something, he'll usually take it out in his training. And then…" He gestured with a hand toward the burnt trees. "You get this." There was a moment's pause. "We'd better go find him now," Kaio decided.

They began to move off when a voice hailed them. "I'm right here, you idiot."

"Aki-kun!" Kaio said beaming. "We were looking for you."

"No kidding…" Onaki said, dropping down from the tree he had been in.

"We're supposed to pull out," Kaio said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "Turns out Kakashi-sensei goofed and the training ground was reserved."

"Just what I'd expect from him…" Onaki muttered. That little comment ticked Sakura off pretty good.

"Don't talk about Kakashi-sensei that way!" she shouted, going to punch him in the face.

"Sakura!" Kaio yelled out in warning. Onaki sidestepped with a dull, bored expression on his face, causing Sakura to stumble and fall to the ground.

"Just stay out of my way and you won't get hurt," Onaki said flatly.

Sakura glared at him from her position on the ground. "Not if you're going to bad-mouth my sensei!"

Onaki shrugged. "Your loss then." He brought his fist back and let it come blazing forward. "Explosion Fist!!" His fist stopped in mid air and a giant blaze of fire came shooting from the end of it right at Sakura.

Sakura shielded herself, but felt only heat, no pain. She turned to see Kaio kneeling in front of her, taking the hit as the fire continued to roar in front of him. "Kaio-kun!"

Kaio looked at her, attempting a smile, but Sakura could tell that he was struggling to mask the pain. "I've got it…" he muttered, keeping his arms crossed in a guard in front of him, shielding his face.

The fire subsided and Onaki lowered his fist, smoke issuing from end of it. "Feh, you always were trying to be the hero, Kaio-kun. I guess you just had to make up for all the times when--"

"Shut up!!" Kaio shouted. "You're the one attacking your own teammate! And you were attacking to severely injure her on purpose too! You…" Kaio began to wobble unsteadily. "Y…you…" He didn't finish, blacking out and flopping over onto his side, unconscious.

"Kaio-kun!" Sakura said, leaning over to catch him as he fell. She gasped at the large burns on his face and hands, his gloves being utterly destroyed from the heat. The metal plates had melted onto his arms, the cloth burned away for the most part.

Onaki sneered. "Pathetic. That's what you get." He launched himself up into the trees and disappeared from view.

Sakura was more worried about Kaio then Onaki and so did not notice him leave. She was busy trying to heal him in some way, but was failing at it. Tears blurred her vision as she tried once again to concentrate enough to use one of the medical jutsu she had learned from Tsunade. But she could not clear her mind. One thought was continually racing through it: _He did it to protect me. He knew he had no chance of saving himself from it, but he did it anyway._ Eventually, she just gave up trying to heal him herself. _I have to get him out of here, but I don't want to move his arms at all…_ It was an impasse. One that she could not see any clear way around. _The best I can do is stay here with him and wait until help arrives. Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei know we're out here and when they think we've taken too long then…_

Any further thoughts were driven from her mind as her own prediction came true before she could complete it. Lee came bounding down out of the trees to her side. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?" he asked urgently. "Kakashi-sensei thought you were taking too long coming back and…" He noticed Kaio lying on the ground unconscious. He stared wide-eyed. "Who did this to Kaio-kun?" he asked slowly. Sakura could tell he was fairly angered by the sight.

"Shouldn't we get him out of here?" Sakura said. "I don't know how bad it actually is."

Lee nodded and quickly took a kunai, attached an explosive tag to it, and hurled it straight up into the air. After a moment, Sakura could see the flash as the tag exploded. "Now the rest should be on their way," Lee explained.

Sure enough, within seconds of each other, the rest arrived. Gai took one look at Kaio before flashing an angry glare at Kakashi. "Did Onaki do this?" he demanded.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, but--"

"We'll hear it all later, Sakura," Kakashi interrupted. "Right now we've got to get Kaio to the hospital."

"Lee, run ahead and tell them we're coming," Gai ordered.

Lee saluted. "Yes, Gai-sensei." He was gone within another second.

Kakashi gingerly picked Kaio up, leaving his injured arms to hang loosely at his side. He headed off with Sakura following closely behind. Gai, Neji, and Tenten were left. "Neji…" Gai began.

"Yes, Gai-sensei?"

"I want you to find Onaki and bring him to me… whether he likes or not," Gai added, before quickly following Kakashi and Sakura. Neji and Tenten watched him go.

"That's pretty harsh," Tenten commented. "I mean, Onaki-san attacking his own teammate and everything…"

"It was nothing less than what he deserved…" Neji said quietly.

Tenten whirled around in surprise. "What are you saying, Neji-kun?! That you're glad Kaio-kun was hurt?!"

"I'm only saying that Kaio was receiving what he deserved. No more, no less." Neji began to walk off, but Tenten wasn't finished yet.

"But Neji, he's part of your clan!"

Neji stopped and turned slowly. He spoke in a deathly low tone. "That boy is in no way a part of the Hyuuga clan." He turned again, apeaking over his shoulder. "He is nothing… but a reject." With that, Neji took his leave.

Tenten was left alone in the woods. _I know Neji-kun and Kaio-kun have had their disagreements, but I've never heard Neji talk about him like this. This whole thing seems to be causing a lot more trouble than expected. I just hope it doesn't carry over to the exams…

* * *

_

And so ends another chapter. WILL SOMEONE PLEASE REVIEW ALREADY?! (spaz) Anyways, there's a lot more to talk about now. Such as what is that whole thing about Kaio being a "reject," for instance. All will be answered in due time… in due time… Later days!


	4. New Mysteries

Chapter 4, blah blah blah. I really suck at intros, can't you tell? Anyway, I'm sure you'd much rather find out what's going to happen next. Oh yea, Hinata comes in this chapter! (stares starry eyed) (recovers) As do many other people… So… onward!

* * *

Hyuuga Hinata was in the middle of enjoying a day off with the other members of her cell. The three of them, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino, had recently come back from a mission so Kurenai was kind enough to allow them a breather before beginning preparation for the upcoming exams. Akamaru was perched on top of Kiba's head, sniffing this way and that, investigating the usual crowd. Suddenly his ears perked up and he barked a warning to Kiba. 

Kiba glanced up. "What is it, boy?"

Akamaru barked a few more times before staring pointedly off down the street, ears twitching a bit. Kiba peered in the same direction.

"What is it?" Hinata asked nervously.

"Akamaru says someone's coming and in an awful hurry too," Kiba explained. "I just can't make it out through all this crowd… Ah, there it is!" He pointed to a rapidly advancing cloud of dust.

Other people in the street had noticed it as the dust cloud approached. They began hurrying to clear a path for it, not in the least anxious to meet whatever the cloud signaled the arrival of. The three Genin and dog were left utterly alone in the middle of the street. Hinata glanced around at the deserted street. "Um… Shouldn't we get out of the way too?" she suggested.

Kiba set himself in a fighting position in the middle of the street as Akamaru jumped off his head, landing beside Kiba and growling. Kiba smirked. "Are you kidding? Everyone else backed off, but no way we are. 'Sides," he winked at Hinata. "I was getting bored."

Shino watched impassively. "I think it's foolish to go into battle with an opponent you know nothing about."

"That's what makes it fun," was Kiba's cocky response.

Shino sniffed a little at him. "Come, Hinata, we will observe what happens from a safe location and assist if necessary." He walked to a nearby alleyway and knelt in the shadows, watching. Hinata looked from Shino to Kiba and back, but eventually decided to join Shino.

Kiba went back to looking at the rapidly approaching dust cloud. "I guess it's our show then, eh Akamaru?"

Akamaru's nose twitched a second, and then he barked another warning at Kiba.

Kiba straightened up. "What, are you serious?"

Akamaru didn't have time to respond because by that point the dust had reached them. Both were bowled over, the dust cloud passing right through and continuing up the street. Shino and Hinata came out to join the two. "What was that?" Hinata asked, staring off at the retreating cloud.

"Not what," Kiba corrected and he stood up. "Who. Akamaru recognized the scent just before he reached us. That was none other than Rock Lee."

"But why would Lee be running so fast?" Hinata wondered.  
Kiba shrugged. "You know Lee, always pushing himself."

"Here come more," Shino warned as another group came following Lee's path, not so fast though. This time the four of them moved out of the way and watched as Kakashi, Sakura, and Gai passed.

Akamaru barked again. Kiba raised an eyebrow. "You don't say…?" He stood up. "C'mon, you two. Let's follow them and see if we can find out what all the fuss is about." Shino and Hinata nodded and the four set off.

* * *

Sakura and Lee sat silently in the lobby of the hospital. Kaio had been signed in and immediately taken up to a room. There was no word yet on his condition. Sakura was still slightly in shock about the whole thing. One moment the two of them had been walking through the woods together, a few minutes later Onaki had tried blasting her with fire and Kaio jumped in the way and now… She stood up and began pacing anxiously. Lee watched her for a moment before speaking. "You would do well not to wear yourself out from worrying," he advised. 

"I can't!" Sakura finally said, exasperated. "He's in there because he jumped in to protect me!" She sighed and sat back down next to Lee. "I never should've let that Onaki get to me…" she muttered.

Lee smiled a little. "It was not your fault. Onaki probably would have found some excuse to attack. And in any case, he got what he really wanted."

Sakura looked up surprised. "You mean he meant for Kaio to do that?"

Lee nodded. "More likely than not. Onaki still bitterly resents him. However, Kaio still hopes that he will see the light." Lee frowned. "But now I think that hope may be in vain."

"Are you and Kaio friends?"

Lee nodded again and stared off toward the hospital entrance. "He is one of the few I have met that believe I can fulfill my dream and he has helped me all he can." Lee turned back to Sakura and smiled warmly at her. "Kaio is a true friend. He is always there to back you up no matter what. And he likes to pull pranks," he added, rubbing the back of his neck. "On me in particular." Sakura giggled. Lee smiled a little and then went on. "So I would not worry about Kaio. He will most likely walk out here in a few minutes and laugh about the whole thing."

Sakura nodded, smiling. That would be exactly like Kaio. She felt extremely grateful to Lee for trying to cheer her up. "Thanks, Lee," she said.

Lee's smile brightened. "It is my pleasure."

At that moment, Kiba and the others arrived outside the hospital and spotted Sakura and Lee inside. They rushed in and went over to them, Kiba leading the way. "What was all the rush before?" he demanded. "And who was that other guy Kakashi-sensei was carrying?"

Any further investigation was forestalled by the arrival of Kakashi, Gai and a medic. Kakashi explained the situation. "Kaio's going to be fine," he began and an immense sense of relief flooded through Sakura. "He has to rest here for tonight but should be free to go tomorrow. His arms might be a little tender though."

"What about the exams?" Sakura asked. "Will he be alright for them?"

Kakashi deferred to the medic on this one. "That will up to him," the medic said.

"Alright, wait a second!" Kiba interjected. "Just who is this Kaio guy?"

"He's my new teammate," Sakura explained quickly. "Or at least he's one of them. The other one, well…"

"Is right here," a voice said from the direction of the hospital entrance. Everyone looked to see Neji and Tenten arriving with a fuming Onaki held between them.

Lee made as if to go after Onaki, but Gai beat him to it, striding purposefully toward the trio. Gai nodded to Neji and Tenten and they released their hold on Onaki's arms and stepped away. Onaki remained glaring at the ground. Gai crossed his arms. "Well… what have you got to say for yourself?"

Onaki looked up and sneered at him. "Nothing to you." A look of fury appeared on Gai's face and he clenched his fist. Onaki continued staring him down defiantly. "What're you going to do about it, huh? You're not my sensei anymore."

Both Sakura and Lee started. They both cried out at virtually the same time. "He used to be on your team?!"

"Gai-sensei, is this true?" Lee asked in disbelief.

Gai stared at the floor, fists clenched. "Yes," he answered. "Onaki was on my previous team, before you three. But that team broke up soon after the incident with Onaki at the Chuunin exams."

Lee began to ask what that was about, but Sakura took him aside and explained it to him. "Kaio caught Onaki-san bribing one of the proctors at the Chuunin exams so Onaki was banned from the exams for the next five times they were held. That's why he's not friends with Kaio anymore."

Lee walked back over to the group glaring at Onaki. "He deserved what he got," he said. "Kaio-kun was right to turn him in."

Onaki sniffed at him. "Feh, I expected as much. You're all the same, just like Kaio. Weak little goody-two-shoes. Pathetic!"

Lee had reached his breaking point. "Kaio is not pathetic!" he shouted. "And neither am I! Leaf Hurricane!" Lee launched a furious kick at Onaki before anyone could stop him.

A smirk appeared on Onaki's face as he ducked the initial kick before going into his own attack. "Fire Spin!" Lee was caught by a backwards sweep kick, a trail of fire following Onaki's foot on the ground forming a circle of flame. Lee tumbled over backwards, landing in a heap on the ground. Onaki laughed and headed out the door. "Just like I said, pathetic! How can you even hope to pass the exams? Later losers!"

Lee made as though to go after him, but Gai stopped him. "Don't waste your energy. He'll get his eventually…"

"Gai-sensei, that move: It was…"

Gai nodded gravely. "Yes, it was. Onaki took the moves I taught him, the same moves I taught you, Lee, and added his own Fire Style to it."

There was a brief silence, broken by Kiba. "Not to be rude or anything, but we should get back on track. That Onaki guy kinda threw us off."

Sakura instantly remembered what they had been talking about before Neji and Tenten had arrived with Onaki. "Oh right! Can we go see Kaio, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Of course. He was already asking for you," Kakashi replied. Any further talk was cut off by Sakura dashing off through the hallway. "Funny…" Kakashi muttered. "And she doesn't even know where his room is." He sighed. "Well, I need to go inform Hokage-sama of what happened. See you later, everyone." He waved in farewell and set off out the door.

Kiba watched him go. "I guess we'd better pull out too, now that all the excitement's over with." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Hey, I caught a peek of some of the files that medic was carrying. It turns out this Kaio guy is a Hyuuga. You know him, Hinata?"

Hinata shook her head. "No…" she said honestly. As they walked out, she caught a glance of Neji glaring at her as if knowing what they were discussing. She quickly turned away, following her teammates out the door.

Soon only Team Gai was left. "Well, that was certainly interesting," Tenten remarked. "Are you alright, Lee?"

Lee nodded. "Gai-sensei, may I go and see Kaio as well?" he asked, trying to hide the eagerness in his voice.

Gai smiled at him. "Alright, Lee, but once you're done come back to the training ground. The Chuunin exams wait for no one!" With a wave of his hand, the rest of the team headed out leaving Lee to walk toward Kaio's room.

In the meantime, Sakura had dashed around for a bit, after realizing she had neglected to find out which room Kaio was in. Then she had the presence of mind to ask a passing nurse, before dashing off again in the direction they had pointed out. Before long she came to the room. Kaio was sitting up in his bed, smirking at her. "'Bout time," he said, motioning for her to come sit on the edge of the bed. Sakura noted that both his forearms were heavily bandaged. He caught her looking. "Hey, I'll be back in no time. Doc even says I could leave tomorrow if I felt like it."

"Do you…?" Sakura asked tentatively.

"I dunno…" Kaio put on a mock thinking face. "Feels nice bein' away from you guys for once…" He caught Sakura's disappointed look and grinned at her. "Aw, I'm just joking. Truth is, I've only been in here for a few minutes, and I'm dyin' to get out already. Hospitals are boring… 'sides we got the exams next week."

Sakura smiled at him. "Nothing keeps you down for long."

"Hey, it's how I live," Kaio said, shrugging. "Why focus on the negative when you've got other stuff that it's better to think about?" He winked at her, causing Sakura to blush and turn away. As she did, she caught sight of someone else in the doorway. "Oh, Lee! When did you get here?"

Kaio saluted at him from his bed. "Heya, Lee."

Lee waved back, but seemed to be a bit distracted by something. Sakura noticed his hesitation. "Are you OK?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, I am fine. I just remembered something I need to do." Lee waved off a little unenthusiastically. "I will see you later." With that, he walked away.

Sakura watched him go. "What was that about?" she asked.

Kaio shrugged. "Oh, you know Lee. His mind's probably on the exams and he just remembered some complicated training he has to do."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kakashi had arrived at the Hokage's office and had just finished relating the event to Tsunade. Tsunade sighed and stood. "You know that I assigned them to you so something like this wouldn't happen." 

"Yes, I know." Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess it just slipped my mind for a moment."

Tsunade turned and looked out the window. "Is that all you came to talk about?"

"Actually, no. There is one more thing." Kakashi produced a rolled-up packet of papers. "These are from the medic who attended Kaio. He wanted a second opinion on something he discovered."

Tsunade accepted the packet and began idly flipping through them. "And what am I supposed to be looking for?"

"The medic said there was something strange in the pattern of the burn marks on Kaio's arms and face. He said that it was though something was blocking the flame for a moment or two," Kakashi explained.

Tsunade came to a photograph of the specified areas. She peered at for a moment. "Yes, I see," she finally said. "The difference is only very slight, but the outer edges are burned a little more." She glanced up at Kakashi. "Did he have any ideas for what might have caused this?"

"That's just the thing. The only thing I could think of him doing to block the fire, considering his lineage, would be the Palms Rotation, but that would've been very obvious, and Sakura didn't mention him doing anything other than putting his arms up. So if he did do something else, she couldn't see it. But I do have one clue… or two if you like." Kakashi took out two large blackened splinters from his pocket. "These got stuck on me while I was carrying Kaio to the hospital. Most likely they were stuck on him before that."

Tsunade laid down the papers and took the splinters, examining them. "But they could just be from the forest. You did say that Onaki had been burning a lot of trees before they arrived. Still…" She turned back to the window. "I do wish we knew more about Kaio. His history is a complete blank except for a few years ago. But before that and over the last couple years… And he just shows up and requests that he gets put on the same team as Onaki…" She spoke over her shoulder to Kakashi. "Thank you for informing me of this and next time, stick closer to them. That is all."

Kakashi nodded and headed out the door. _I guess I should try to find out more about Kaio's history… But then again, most things reveal themselves in time.

* * *

_

So what is Kaio's background? Well, that's just one of the great mysteries of this story. And also something I'm just bursting to tell you all. Dang, I wish I could just get to the 3rd exam already… Oh well, 1st exam starts next chapter!! WHEE!! So time is running out to get those OCs in. 'Till then, stay tuned and review! Later days!


	5. The Impossible Test

So hey, it's Ch. 5! (confetti) Woohoo… yea, OK. I'll only be able to celebrate when we finally get to the 3rd exam. Sorry about the long wait but FF decided to go and be a (whoops) every time I tried to load it up. But who cares about that? It's up now, so let's just get to the story already. 1st exam here we come!

* * *

Over the next week and a half the team prepared for the exams. Of course, Onaki was less than thrilled to see Kaio return only two days after the incident, his forearms tightly wrapped beneath a new pair of gloves, but Kakashi soon took his mind off of it. He had them running exercises from dawn (or whenever he decided to show up) till dusk. "Does he ever actually do anything with us?" Kaio asked Sakura as the two of them rested for a minute. He glanced over at Kakashi who has leaning against a tree, fully absorbed in his usual choice of reading.

"Not unless he has to," Sakura responded, shrugging. "I think it's better that way. It's so we don't rely on him."

"Yea, who needs him, right?" Kaio said, grinning. "We could run this whole team on our own."

"I wouldn't think so," a voice said from right behind Kaio. He bent his head his head back to see Kakashi standing over him.

Kaio grinned cheerfully up at him. "Hiya, sensei! Nice day to work out, doncha think? Or just chill out, if you know what I mean."

There was a brief pause before Kakashi answered, "Yes it is, isn't it?" He smiled back at Kaio. "And also for filling out your exam registrations." He handed them each a piece of paper. "The exams start tomorrow after all."

"These things come up so fast…" Kaio mumbled, but he still bore a grin on his face. "All the better. Beats waiting around for it."

Sakura looked at him in disbelief. "You're actually looking forward to this?"

"Why not? It's a new adventure every time," Kaio reasoned. "Just how I like it."

"You're such an idiot…" Onaki said, walking up and snatching the last paper from Kakashi.

"Now then, all set are we?" Kakashi asked. "You can have the rest of the day for yourselves. Remember to meet at the Academy tomorrow morning. Same room as last time."

"Right," Sakura said. "Room 301."

"Don't you worry about us," Kaio said. "We'll breeze through this exam." Onaki rolled his eyes.

"Well, you're certainly not lacking in confidence," Kakashi responded. "Good luck." With a wave, he was gone.

Kaio pumped a fist into the air. "Alright! I'm so psyched for this! Let's do it!"

Sakura laughed at Kaio's enthusiasm. "We'll be a team the whole way." She turned to their third member. "Right, Onaki?"

Onaki snorted. "Feh, whatever it takes to pass."

"See you guys!" Kaio said dashing off. "And good luck!"

Onaki began walking off in another direction, hands in pockets. "Like I'll need it," he muttered.

Sakura was left alone on the abandoned training ground as the sun began to sink lower. She smiled to herself as she began to walk home. _Two weeks ago, I never would've thought that I'd be this happy with new teammates, but now I think I'm about as excited as Kaio._ She looked up into the sky. _I _will_ pass the exam, for Naruto and Sasuke…_

* * *

The next day dawned bright and clear as Sakura walked quickly in the direction of the Academy. She was completely focused on her destination that she almost didn't notice someone hailing her from the side of the street. "Hey, Sakura!!" Sakura pulled up suddenly to see Ino waving to her and Chouji next to Ino, fully absorbed in chomping his way through a large bag of something.

Sakura waved back and walked over, but was still in a hurry to go. "What is it? I kind of have to be somewhere…"

Ino nodded knowingly. "Right, the Chuunin exams start today. Well, good luck and everything. I won't keep you."

Sakura looked at her questioningly. "Aren't you taking the exams too?"

Ino shook her head. "Nope. Chouji and I decided to take a break this time around. Besides, we need a third member since Shikamaru's already passed the exam." She raised an eyebrow. "So how are you getting in?"

"Hokage-sama had two other Genin assigned to my team to replace Naruto and Sasuke. I'd introduce them to you, but they're not here and I don't have the time otherwise. After the exams, hopefully."

"Are they cute?" Ino asked the question as if it were a perfectly normal thing to lead into.

"Well…" Sakura started, but then realized what she was doing. "Look I really have to go. Can we talk about this later?"

Ino looked a little disappointed, but nodded. "Fine go on, do your little exam. I'll see you in the finals."

"You mean it?" Sakura asked doubtfully.

Ino smiled at her. "Of course. Go get 'em."

Sakura smiled back. "I will." She dashed off waving. "See you in a few days!"

Ino watched her go. "Yea, I hope so…"

* * *

Sakura was the last of her team to arrive at the Academy. Fortunately, Onaki was ignoring Kaio instead of attacking him when she walked up. Kaio beamed at her and waved. "You ready for this?" he asked.

Sakura nodded. "Are you?"

"Are you kidding? I've been ready. Let's go already," Kaio insisted, leading the way into the building.

Onaki sighed and followed them into the already crowded building. He was trying to make it perfectly clear that he was only doing this because he had to in order to pass the exam.

Kaio's cheerful attitude caught the attention of a few of the gathered Genin. Most gathered there had no idea who he was, the foreign ones especially. They mostly just stared at him as he passed then turned back to their friends. Kaio didn't seem to notice all the looks he got, save one. He caught Neji's stony glare from a mile away. However, he simply smiled and waved at him, causing Neji to turn away in disgust.

Kaio and Sakura joined up with the rest of the group near the entry to the classroom. "Morning everyone," Kaio said, continuing his cheery disposition. Onaki rolled his eyes and wandered off. Lee, Tenten and Kiba said "Good morning" back. Shino merely nodded in acknowledgement. Hinata stared the floor and mumbled something that sounded like "Good morning."

"She's nervous," Kiba explained. "Kind of having an idea of what could happen makes it a bit more stressful, I guess. What's up with you then, Kaio?"

"Oh nothing," Kaio shrugged. "Just been looking forward to this for a while." He looked around at the various Genin scattered throughout the room. "Seems like a lot more than usual…"

Any further speculation on the subject was cut off by the arrival of the proctors. "Alright kids, enough chit-chat," one of them said. "Turn in your applications and receive your seating numbers."

Kaio grinned as they all headed into the testing room. "And so it begins…"

Over the next few minutes, the group of proctors assigned each Genin a number and directed them to the corresponding seat. From where she was sitting, Sakura could see Kaio about three rows up and two seats over. Onaki was a few rows directly behind her. The other Konoha Genin were scattered throughout the room, Kiba up in the front corner, Hinata a few seats down from him, Shino right in the middle of it all. Lee somehow ended up right in front of Kaio and Tenten was in the next row up and a few seats down. Neji was all by himself in the back row.

Once everyone was settled, the talk ceased. Sakura caught sight of Kaio mouthing "Good luck" to her. She smiled nervously back and the two of them turned their attention to the front of the room as the head proctor stepped forward. Sakura could hardly believe it. _Wait a second, Iruka-sensei's the head proctor for the first exam?!_ Some of the other younger Konoha Genin began glancing at each other in question. Iruka didn't seem to notice. He started right in on his big introduction speech.

"Good morning everyone. I'm Umino Iruka and I will be the head proctor for this part of the exam. The first part of the exam will be a written test, consisting of ten questions. You will have one hour to answer all of these. At the conclusion of that hour, those who have passed this part of the exam will continue on the next part. The proctors will now hand out your test papers."

Sakura raised an eyebrow as the proctors began placing a sheet of paper face down at each Genin's place. _Iruka-sensei's a lot less harsh than the last guy who did this. I guess different proctors handle it different ways…_She noted several of the first timers look at each in disbelief at the fact that they had to take a written exam. She remembered the way Naruto had acted when he found out and laughed to herself.

Once all of the test papers were handed out, Iruka began speaking again. "Before you begin, we have to go over a few rules in the way this exam will be handled. I will write them on the board so you can refer to them at any time during the exam." Iruka picked up a piece of chalk and began writing on the board at the front of the room in large characters so everyone could see.

_1. Each question is worth 1 point._

_2. Any question left blank will count as incorrect._

_3. If a question is marked incorrect, the individual will not receive the point for that question._

_4. A score of less than 10 points for an individual will fail that individual._

_5. If any person is caught cheating once, they automatically fail._

_6. If one member of a team fails, so do the other two._

Sakura's eyes widened as she read the rules. _Are you kidding me?! All three members of the team have to get a perfect score in order to pass?! This is even more ridiculous than the last test!!_

All around her, Genin began to protest. Iruka waved a hand to quiet them. "I will answer any two questions. One at a time, please. You first," he said, pointing to one Genin.

"So are you saying that we have to get 10 points in order to pass?" he demanded.

Iruka nodded. "Yes, that's right."

"But that means we have to get all the questions right!"

Iruka ignored him. "Next question, please?" Sakura waved her hand in the air trying to get Iruka's attention. But he called on another Genin. Sakura was surprised to see that it was Kaio. Kaio leaned back in his chair before asking, "Are those all the rules we need to worry about?"

Several Genin shouted something about that being a waste of a question, but the proctors shut them up. "Yes, that's all of them," Iruka replied.

Kaio sat back, nodding to himself. "OK then…"

"Now then, if we're all ready, your one hour begins… now!"

There was a chain reaction of papers flipping over which dissolved into silence mixed with pencils scratching and chairs squeaking. Sakura began reviewing the questions quickly before starting in on them.

_Question #1_: _In the space below is written a message in invisible ink. Determine what was used to create the ink and describe a possible reagent to make the visible._

_Question #2: An enemy shinobi is moving west at 10 kilometers per hour. There is a 20kph wind coming from the southeast. Determine the proper launch angle and velocity of a kunai knife to strike the enemy if you are standing 10 meters south of them._

_Question #3: Describe fully the process of chakra conversion for Wood Style Ninjutsu._

_Question #4: Describe fully the techniques used by a current Kage of a village other than your own._

_Question #5: Name at least three known Doujutsu and describe fully the effects of each. (Kekkei Genkai are not acceptable answers.)_

Sakura leaned back to take a break and shook her head. These questions were near impossible, even for someone with her brain. Her eyes wandered down the paper until she hit the very bottom. Instead of the usual "The tenth question will be given when there are fifteen minutes left in the exam," there was an actual question instead: _Give a complete profile of one Genin in the room other than yourself. (History, fighting style, etc.)_ Sakura stared at it. _What the heck are they thinking?! No one's gonna pass with rules like those and questions like these!!_ She glanced up quickly. Kaio was busily writing, his head bent down low over his paper. _I guess I'd better give it my best shot…_ She put her pencil to the paper. _Alright, question 1…_

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Sakura's hand and head were starting to ache. She had worked out some possible answer for each question except the last one. She sat staring at it for a second before glancing around the room again. The crowd had thinned a little. Several Genin hadn't taken Rule #5 seriously enough and were ejected from the exam along with their teammates. As of yet, all of the Konoha group were still in it.

Sakura couldn't believe Kaio at all. At about twenty minutes into the exam, he had turned his paper over and put his feet up on the desk. He was now sitting there with his eyes closed, napping apparently. He was getting looks from all over the room, but not too many as the Genin were scrambling to wrap up their own exams and didn't want to get taken for trying to cheat either.

"Hey you!" Sakura froze. One proctor was looking in her direction. She hoped that she hadn't been taken for cheating when she looked around. "Number 124, you fail," the proctor said. Sakura looked down slowly at her seat number. The label read "125." She let her breath out in relief as the Genin next to her got up sadly. "Numbers 43 and 258 also fail," called out the proctor.

Sakura turned back to her own paper and the blank question 10. _A blank answer is counted wrong, and a single wrong answer will fail me and Kaio and Onaki. I have to write something and hope it's good enough… But I don't think I know anyone here well enough to pass it off…_ Her eyes happened to fall on Lee who had also finished with his exam by this point. _Well, maybe I do. I don't know everything, but maybe just enough._ With that, her pencil began scratching on the paper furiously.

* * *

Another ten or so minutes later, Sakura had filled up the space for question 10 and moved on to the back of the paper. _This better be good enough… My hand's about to fall off…_ She glanced up at the clock. _And the time's about to run out anyway. Let's hope whatever luck I have doesn't fail me now._

Iruka, who had been sitting quietly at the front of the room the entire time, just watching the Genin, nodded to several of the proctors before standing. "Your one hour is up. Stop writing now. Anyone caught writing after this point will fail immediately." Any Genin who had thought about scratching down a last second answer froze. "The proctors will now collect your papers and inform you if you passed or failed individually."

The proctors split up and began walking down the rows, picking up papers, scanning them over and stating "Pass" or "Fail." If the Genin failed, their teammates would be called as "Fail" as well. Sakura watched nervously as one proctor approached Kaio. Kaio opened one eye as they approached and lifted his feet an inch of the desk to allow the proctor to pick up his paper. The proctor scanned it over for a few seconds, nodded and said, "Number 94, pass." Kaio grinned and put his feet back down on the desk, leaning back even more.

Sakura wanted to say something but another proctor approached her. She handed her paper to him, her hand shaking slightly. The proctor scanned it over, not even bothering to flip it over and read the back. "Number 125, pass." Sakura nearly fainted.

As luck would have it, Onaki passed as well. So did the rest of the group. Once all those who had failed had cleared the room, Iruka took the floor once again. "Congratulations to all of you for passing the first stage of the exams," he began. A couple Genin cheered, but Iruka quieted them. "I bet some of you are wondering just how you passed, while others had it figured out from the start. Would anyone care to explain?" Several hands shot up. Sakura looked blank. _Just how did I pass…?_ Iruka scanned the raised hands before calling on Kaio, who didn't even have his hand raised. "You, number 94. You seemed to have been the first to figure it out. Why don't you explain?"

Kaio remained in his leaning back position but obliged. "The questions may have been impossibly hard, but that made little difference," he said. "The rules never stated what happened if you gave a wrong answer. They just said that a _blank_ answer would be counted incorrect. So pretty much if you just wrote down anything in the space for the question, you got it right, even if it had nothing to do with the question itself." Sakura just about fell out of her chair. All across the room, Genin realized the loophole and slapped themselves on the head for not seeing it sooner. Kaio just sat there and smiled.

Iruka nodded approvingly. "That was it exactly. As a Chuunin, you will come to face situations that may appear to be similar to something you are familiar with, but this is just an illusion. You must assess each situation as a new experience, relying only on the information you have that applies directly to that situation. Otherwise, you will just make things harder on yourself and your team. Keep that in mind as you head into the next stages of the exam. If you will all go outside, the proctor for the second part is waiting."

The remaining Genin, about a third of the original total, filed out of the room, discussing this latest experience with their teammates. Sakura caught up with Kaio. "Congratulations," she said. "I guess I worked my butt off for nothing."

"Not for nothing," Kaio said, grinning. "It kept me entertained."

Sakura swung a fist in his direction. "Why you little…!"

Kaio dodged it and ran down the hall laughing. "Hey, you still need me for a little longer, remember?"

Sakura glared after him, but after a moment couldn't help but laugh. _Yea, I remember… The next part of the exam requires the three-man team as well. But after that…_ She grinned. _I'll get you back._

* * *

WOOOOO HOOOOO!!! 1st exam. (stamp) DONE! Now on to the second exam… The one I have the least ideas for… (cries) Anyways, review… 


	6. All Too Familiar

OK, so chapter 6… Screw it. ROLL 'EM!!

* * *

Sakura hurried to catch up to Kaio as they walked out to the front of the Academy. "I wonder if there actually were any answers to some of those questions…?" she thought out loud.

Kaio shrugged. "Likely as not. All I know is that I definitely got at least one of them right, even if it didn't matter."

Sakura shot a look at him. "Which one?"

Kaio shrugged again, but he had a grin on his face. "I said it didn't matter."

"Yes, I know. But I still would like to find out. To check my answer against it."

Kaio turned to face her, still grinning. "Tough."

Sakura shook her head. "You just like messing with me, don't you?"

"Yea, pretty much."

Any further conversation was cut off, because they caught up to the rest of the exam participants, who were gather in a large semi circle around a single Konoha ninja. The ninja had black spiky hair and a bandage running across his nose. Everyone quieted down as he began to speak. "Listen up! I'm Hagane Kotetsu and I'll be the head proctor for the second part of the Chuunin exams. Just a warning before we get started. If you thought the first part was hard, you might as well leave now, because it's all downhill from here. With that in mind, follow me to where your second exam will take place."

As the group began to move off again, Sakura wondered out loud, "Where's the second exam taking place this time?"

After a few minutes of walking, Sakura found herself staring at an all too familiar sight. _I just had to ask…_

Kotetsu took center stage again. "Welcome to Training Ground 44, or more affectionately known as 'The Forest of Death.'" A groan rose from the older Konoha Genin and some of the group that had been there for the last exam. "Yea, that's right," Kotetsu continued. "It's here. Alright, listen up cause I'm about to give you the details for the second exam." Silence fell like a curtain across the group. "Your task is to find these." Kotetsu held up three small cylindrical objects. They were wooden and each had an inch long slot cut into them. They also each had a "1" painted on them. "There's a tower in the middle of the Forest. These are the keys to open the doors to it. However, each door requires three matching keys. Furthermore, each set of keys will only open one specific door. Now then, as a parting gift…" Kotetsu lobbed the three keys over crowd.

Sakura watched as they sailed into the group. She noted where each one fell. The first was caught easily by a Cloud ninja. The second Akamaru leapt up off of Kiba's head and caught in his mouth. Sakura couldn't see who caught the third.

Kotetsu spoke again. "The other sets are scattered in the Forest. There are fourteen sets in all. You have until sundown five days from now to find a complete set and get inside the tower. Now then, to begin you may choose any one of the 44 gates around the perimeter of this area. Good luck to all of you." Kotetsu disappeared in a poof of smoke.

The crowd began to break and head to each of the gates, assisted by proctors that had remained behind. Sakura sighed and turned to Kaio. "So… which gate are we headed to?"

Kaio answered without hesitation. "Seventeen."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why that one in particular."

Kaio shrugged. "It's a little rule that helps me out. If you ever have to choose a random number, choose seventeen."

"That doesn't really make it random then, does it?"

"Whatever, c'mon we have to find Aki-kun," Kaio said moving off in the general direction of the gate.

"I'm right here…" Onaki said walking up, arms crossed. "And we've got a head start," he added, taking out the third key Kotetsu had thrown.

"Awesome!" Kaio said enthusiastically. "Now we've just gotta find the other two. Didja see who got those?"

"I did," Sakura spoke up. "Kiba's team got one and some Cloud ninja got the other."

"Cloud ninja, huh?" Kaio muttered, rubbing his chin. "Ah well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we're here!" he said, gestured to the large fence gate that stood before them with the character "17" above it.

A proctor who was standing by the gate nodded to them. "We just have to wait until we get word that all the teams are in place," he explained.

Kaio nodded and began stretching. "Might as well get limbered up," he said. "I can't wait to get in there. This is my favorite part of the exam."

"Why's that?" Sakura asked, confused. "You like knocking on other people?"

"Nah, I just like the freedom. Five days on our own with no rules." Kaio sighed. "Fun…"

The proctor put a hand to the comms device in his ear. "Alright," he responded and motioned to the trio. "That's the signal. The second exam has begun!" He swung open the gate. "Good luck!"

Kaio dashed through at high speed and launched himself up into the trees with a loud yell. "YAHOOOOO!!" Onaki followed close behind him shaking his head. Sakura entered last and followed her two teammates. She glanced behind her to catch sight of the proctor closing and locking the gate. _Well, here we go again…

* * *

_

About a half hour later, Kaio pulled up on a large branch and squatted down to take a quick rest. The other two came up beside him. Onaki stood looking around. "Running around like idiots isn't going to get us anywhere. We need to come up with some kind of strategy."

Kaio looked up at him. "We've already got a strategy. Find the keys, duh."

Onaki gave him a look. "A more specific strategy, moron. Like trying to track down Kiba or that Cloud ninja's group."

"But this forest is huge," Sakura said. "How is it possible for us to find one specific group out of thirty in this place?"

Kaio thought for a second. "Well, Kiba's got Akamaru, so he'll probably try and track us that way using the similar scents on the keys. But the Cloud guy's in the same spot we are as far as we know. So right now Kiba's got the advantage."

"So we make our own advantage," Onaki said. "We look for other key sets to give us insurance. And in the meantime, we split up so we're harder to track."

"But won't that make us more vulnerable?" Sakura put in.

"Somewhat, yes," Kaio answered. "But if we don't have anything the other teams need, they might not bother with a lone ninja. And if we each get the scent of the key on us, it'll make it harder for Akamaru and Kiba to discern which one of us actually has the key."

"Who's going to have the key?" Sakura asked.

Kaio and Onaki looked at each other for a moment. "I'll take it," Kaio finally said. "I'm faster in the trees so I can get away."

Onaki looked as if he might protest for a second then conceded, handing the key over. "Alright. We'll meet back here…" He rammed a kunai in the branch they were standing on. "If one of us doesn't show up by sundown tomorrow, the others move on. Got it?" Kaio nodded solemnly. Sakura looked a little nervous at first, but then swallowed and nodded. "Go!"

The three of them split off in separate directions, Kaio heading deeper into the forest while Onaki and Sakura each split off to go in opposite directions around the perimeter.

For a little bit, Sakura was nervous being off by herself in a situation like this, but she eventually reminded herself to stay alert and not let it distract her. She began scanning the terrain for any signs of keys. After a few minutes, she spotted something. She landed next to it and found a small wooden cylinder with four notches cut into it, all perpendicular to each other. It had a "4" painted on it. She stared at it. _This might not be such a good sign…

* * *

_

Onaki continued on his path, searching for keys. He had already picked up an "8" he had found lying in a stream. Now he was back up in the trees looking for more. He glanced up at the sky. _Nearing sundown… better find some place for the night soon._ A slight motion of to his left caught his attention. He pulled up and back-flipped off a branch in one motion. Three kunai hit the spot where he had just touched. Onaki took cover behind a large trunk, scanning the foliage for his attacker. He suddenly dodged to the side again as another set of three kunai came his way. _Aha, I got them. It's only one, but he keeps throwing three kunai to give the appearance there are more. But all of them are coming from the same spot. Right… there! _Onaki whipped a kunai of his own out of the holster on his leg and hurled into a patch of bushes. He was rewarded by a blur shooting out of them and landing on a branch across from him.

The attacker was a Grass ninja; he had a rip in his sleeve from where Onaki's kunai had grazed him. He glared at Onaki. "Nice throw, but it'll cost you."

Onaki glared back. "I don't have time to waste on you…" He turned to go.

The Grass ninja launched himself at Onaki, a kunai in either hand, ready to stab. "Don't turn your back on me!!" he yelled.

Without batting an eye, Onaki turned, crouched, and then pushed himself up on his hands, thrusting his feet directly into the oncoming ninja's gut. A blast of fire ensued on contact. The Grass ninja was flung backward, colliding with a tree before plummeting downward to the forest floor. Onaki watched the vanishing smoke trail impassively. "I told you I don't have time to waste on you, you idiot." With that, he took off into the trees again.

* * *

It was after dark and Kaio was thoroughly enjoying himself. The entire day he had raced pell-mell through the treetops, not really even caring about the exam. Now that it was dark, he remembered his task but it didn't dampen his mood. He pulled up suddenly, listening. _Sounds like fighting over that way… _His eyes lit up. _And there's a dog barking! That can only be one thing… Akamaru! Maybe I can sneak in and get the key in confusion… _He launched off again, but not as fast to mask the noise.

* * *

Hinata found herself thrown back against a tree. Their group had been ambushed by a team of tough looking Rain ninja. The four of them tried to hold them off, but they had been caught badly off-guard because they were settling down for the night. Kiba and Shino had told her to stay back, but now they had been knocked out and she was alone. Akamaru barked furiously at the leader and leapt at his leg. The leader merely shook him off, hurling him into a tree and knocking him out as well.

The three Rain ninja advanced upon her. The leader spoke in a mocking comforting tone. "Hey there little girl, why don't you just give us that key and we won't hurt you… much." The three of them burst out laughing.

Hinata took advantage of their temporary distraction to rush upon the leader. He swung a fist, but she ducked under it, aiming a punch at his stomach. She was just about to hit when his knee came up into her chin. She was knocked back to the ground against the tree. The key, which Kiba had entrusted to her, flew from her grip and bounced several feet away.

"C'mon, let's get her!" one said, advancing even further. Before he could move another step closer, two kunai came hurtling out of the trees above them and buried themselves in his chest.

The other two stared in shock as he fell over. "Hey, what the--!" The other one started, but he was cut off as another person's feet collided with his head. He crumpled to the ground and the new arrival flipped backward, landing neatly between the remaining Rain ninja and Hinata. Hinata stared at him, trying to figure out who would be stepping in like this. But her vision was blurry because of the hit she had taken.

The guy turned his head to face her. "You alright?" he asked. Hinata nodded in sort of a dazed way.The guy turned back to the Rain ninja and assumed a fighting stance. "Haven't you ever heard 'pick on someone your own size?'" he asked.

The Rain ninja smirked, drawing a large curved sword from behind his back. "Haven't _you_ ever heard 'don't stick your nose in other people's business?' Leave now and you can keep your life."

He glanced back at Hinata and shook his head. "Ain't happening, buddy. Can't leave a damsel in distress." He smirked. "Comes with the good guy label."

The Rain ninja shrugged. "You forfeit your life then, and so does the girl!!" He charged, sword up and ready to swing.

"Already told you, ain't happening!!" the guy said, standing his ground. _Here's goes nothin'…

* * *

_

Sakura had set up a small hiding spot so she could get some rest for the night. It was right under a large tree and hidden by a curtain of moss. _Hopefully, this will work until morning._ She tucked away her "4" key in her pouch and settled down. _I wonder how Onaki and Kaio are doing…?_

Close by, a group of Sand ninja watched Sakura's hiding spot. "You're sure you saw someone go in there?" one asked.

Another nodded. "Positive. She's alone too."

The third stared at the spot, leaning on his arms. "We'll wait another hour and then move in, just to be sure she's asleep. And then…"

The first one grinned. "Showtime!"

* * *

Oh, so sorry, I've gone and left you with a cliffy, haven't I? My bad… 3 Guess you'll just have to wait until I update again. For now, review people, review!! Later days! 


	7. Seperate Paths

… Chapter Summoning Jutsu! Go!

* * *

Onaki continued on his trek throughout the deep night hours, taking advantage of the extra cover of darkness. He had already taken a rest earlier in the day, just so he could keep moving at this time. He had broken off from his perimeter route, heading towards the center of the forest, thinking maybe he could locate this tower._ Saves time for later._ He tried to calculate just about how far he had gone into the forest based on his speed and the time he had been moving. _I guess I should just about be near the center of the forest. Stands to reason the tower should be there._

After about another five or so minutes travel, Onaki's prediction came true. There standing in a small clearing was a large tower like structure. Onaki landed on the edge of the clearing, staying in the shadows of the tree. He could see doors every few feet going around the outside of the tower. _Hmm… doesn't look like anyone's here, so…_Onaki slowly moved out toward the tower. He reached one of the doorways and investigated it. There were three small holes in the wall beside each door. Within the holes, there were pieces of wood, arranged in various patterns, but the three at each door had the same pattern. Onaki took out the "8" key he had and inspected the bottom of it where the cuts were. _So the cuts must fit onto those pieces… But then what? There's really only one way to find out…_Onaki moved cautiously around the tower, checking each door until he found one marked with the number 8. He slowly slid his key into the topmost hole next to it, positioning the cuts so the wood pieces inside the hole would slide into them. He felt the key hit the bottom of the hole but nothing happened. Part of it was still sticking out of the hole. _Hmm… maybe if I…?_ Onaki slowly turned the key away from the door. He heard a faint click as a latch disengaged. He smirked to himself. _Got it. The cuts fit onto the wood inside the holes so that when you turn the key, it turns some kind of mechanism to unlock the door. And there are three locks on it. Knowing that…_ He moved over to the next door, a number "7." _Tough luck for whoever has these keys. _He inserted two of his fingers into the hole and shot a short burst of fire into it. He removed his fingers and peered into the hole. The pieces of wood were completely burned up, and the inside of the hole was blackened. Onaki smiled. _Time to eliminate some competition._ He repeated the exercise for the other two holes in the "7" door and then moved around the tower to the "13" door. He had already burned out one of them and was about to do the second when he thought he heard someone approaching. _Time to jet. Two's enough._ Onaki shot off back into the trees, laughing to himself. _I'd just love to see the faces of whoever had those keys…

* * *

_

Sakura was awoken by something moving outside her little alcove. She remained lying down, but glanced around to see if she could spot anything. She also listened carefully.

"You sure we waited long enough…?"

"If we wait any longer it'll be morning and then we wasted a night."

"Keep it down you guys! Do you wanna wake her up?"

Sakura closed her eyes and lay very still, but snuck a kunai out of the holster on her leg. She wanted to give the impression she was still asleep. She heard someone push the moss out of the way.

"Phew, she's still asleep. Alright guys, make this quick."

"She's kind of cute…"

"Shut up! Get on with it!"

Sakura decided she had waited long enough and suddenly rolled over, flinging the kunai in the direction she had heard the voices. One gave a short yelp and dived for cover as the kunai flew over his head. As quickly as she had thrown the first one, Sakura had another kunai in her hand. She was about to throw it as well when she noticed the three were taking cover behind various trees. _Now that's strange… They have the advantage, having more people. Why are they taking cover…?_ She moved slowly out of the alcove, keeping watch on each spot she had seen the infiltrators disappear to. She heard them whispering to themselves.

"She's coming this way!"

"Oh boy, I knew we didn't wait long enough…"

"Shut up you guys, she'll hear!"

Sakura had come to the conclusion that these guys were no threat so she put away her kunai. "I know you're there, so you can just come out already!" she called. "If you don't want to fight, that's fine with me."

There were three very audible sighs of relief as the three Sand ninja poked their heads out from around a tree. One of them glanced around. "Are you sure your teammates won't ambush us?"

Sakura nodded. "I'm sure…" She didn't exactly feel comfortable giving that answer, but it was as close as she could come to the truth without giving away the fact that Kaio and Onaki were nowhere near her.

Another set of sighs and they came completely out of hiding. Another one of them spoke. "Sorry for disturbing you but we were just trying to see what key you might have. We're trying to find one that might match either one we have. But I guess we'll just be going now…" They began to walk off.

"Wait!" Sakura called after them. "Which ones do you have? We might be able to… I don't know, trade or something?"

The trio wheeled around and run up to her. "A peaceful, non-fighting trade? I like the sound of that," the third one said. "What do you got?"

Sakura was a bit surprised and amused by their sudden change of attitude. She removed the key she had from her pouch. "I only have one, so I guess it really depends on what you have. Here, see it's a number 4."

The trio glanced at each other excitedly. "Well isn't that a coincidence!" the first one said. "We also happen to have a 4. And an 8 too."

"I guess I could just trade you the 4 for the 8. Since I only have one key it doesn't make much difference to me," Sakura said, shrugging.

"It's a deal!" the first one said, pulling out their "8" key. Sakura handed him the "4" and she took their "8." The Sand ninja saluted to her. "A pleasure doing business with you, ma'am!" Sakura watched as the three of them walked off conversing.

"Well, that turned out better then I thought."

"Yea, we got another of the set, and we didn't even have to fight!"

"We should've just asked her in the first place. It would've saved all that waiting."

Sakura shook her head as she headed back to her alcove. _Well, it might not have been the best trade for me, but they look like they could use all the help they can get. How did guys like those ever get to be ninja…?

* * *

_

Kiba rolled over, groaning. His body, not to mention his pride, was terribly sore from the beating he had taken at the hands of the Rain ninja. He lay still for a moment, listening and smelling for any enemies nearby. To his surprise, there were none. He sat up, looking around. There lying on the ground near them were the three Rain ninja who had attacked them. Kiba slowly got up and approached them with caution in case they were playing some kind of trick. It was no trick. They were out. Or at least one of them was. The other two, including the leader, were dead. Kiba cringed at the sight of the leader's body. It seemed to have been stabbed in a thousand different places, barely recognizable. _I wonder who did this…?_

Kiba turned his attention away from those three, now that he was positive they were not a threat and began checking on his comrades. He first found Akamaru lying at the base of a tree. He was breathing, but was unconscious for the moment. Kiba patted his head softly before picking him up and tucking him inside his jacket.

Kiba tensed for a moment as he heard a noise behind him, but it was only Shino getting up. Kiba came over to him. "You alright?" he asked.

Shino winced a little as he sat up more. "Sore, but nothing's broken," he said.

Kiba nodded. "Same here."

Shino noticed the bodies of the Rain ninja. He raised an eyebrow. "Apparently, we had some assistance," he remarked.

"Yea, I guess. Unless Hinata took them all out, but I doubt she could do _that_," Kiba responded, jerking his head toward the leader's body. He was suddenly reminded of something. "Where is Hinata anyway?"

Shino looked off to the left. "Over there, against that tree. I'm pretty sure she's just unconscious, but we should check just to make sure."

Kiba nodded in agreement and the two of them walked over to where Hinata was slumped against the large trunk of a tree. Sure enough, she was only unconscious, breathing in a calm rhythmic manner. Kiba took out a small flask and splashed some water from it gently on her face. Hinata's eyes opened slowly. She tensed up instinctively, her eyes darting back and forth, but then she relaxed seeing her teammates in front of her.

Kiba sat back on the ground in front of her. "Well, it looks like we're all still in one piece. The question is: How?"

"Did you see anything, Hinata?" Shino asked. "You were probably the last one to black out."

Hinata sat thinking for a moment. What _had _happened before she blacked out? "I… remember seeing you two being knocked out…" she started slowly. "But after that…" She shook her head. "Nothing. I can't remember."

Shino noticed something lying on the ground beside Hinata. "Perhaps that could be a clue," he said pointing.

Kiba and Hinata both turned to look. There sitting on the ground next to Hinata were two keys. Both were marked with the number 1. Kiba let out a low whistle. "Now that's really strange…"

Shino nodded. "Indeed. Though it does give us a clue as to who might have stepped in to save us."

Kiba looked up into the foliage surrounding them as he spoke. "Yea. I spotted who had the other two keys that Kotetsu threw out. One was just some Cloud ninja, and the other was one of those new guys on Sakura's team. The blonde one, I think. I remember he had a very strong smell of smoke or something burning."

"But the question is which one would be more likely to help us," Shino reasoned. "So far as we know, the Cloud ninja does not even know us, so he had no known reason to help us and leave his key. And from what I observed at the hospital, the other one, Onaki I believe his name was, certainly did not seem like the type to offer assistance of any kind."

"So… maybe it was someone else…?" Hinata suggested softly.

"Eh true," Kiba said. "The key could've changed hands. Or it might have been someone else who was on the team of either one of those two. Once again, the Cloud ninja had no reason to help us out, so I think we can rule them out for good. That leaves Sakura and the other new guy on her team, Kaio if I remember right. But Kaio hardly knows us and I honestly don't think that Sakura could take out all three of them, especially in that way," Kiba said, this last part referring once again to the leader's body.

"However," Shino interjected. "Judging from what we know of all three of them, Kaio would be the most likely person."

"Why's that?" Kiba asked, a little confused.

"Because of the techniques used by each of them," Shino answered. "Sakura, as you said, does not possess a technique that could do that to a person," he explained, gesturing to the decimated body of the leader. "And Onaki uses that Fire Taijutsu combination. There are no signs of any burns anywhere on the bodies or in this area."

"Hey you're right!" Kiba said. "I can't smell any smoke near here either."

During this whole time, Hinata had been trying to recall just what had happened in the moments before she blacked out. She now vaguely recalled someone jumping in front of her, between the Rain leader and herself. "I'm… pretty sure that the person… was a boy…" she spoke up.

"Then that confirms it," Shino decided. "Kaio must have been the one to step in."

"But Kaio's a Hyuuga. And I don't think that Hyuuga style Taijutsu could do that," Kiba said, staring at the three bodies again.

"We can figure that out later," Shino said, standing up. "For now, we should move on."

"Right," Kiba agreed. "Let's go find that third key!"

The two of them launched up into the trees. Hinata hung back a moment, looking at the leader's body. _What could have done that to him…?_ she wondered. She picked up the two keys left by her, put them away in her pouch and then took off after the others.

* * *

The rest of the night and most of the day had passed without event for Sakura. She had woken up early and headed a little farther into the forest before turning back to meet up with Onaki and Kaio. She had had no luck finding any more keys but was satisfied at the moment with what she had.

It was getting late as she neared the point the three of them had split up from. _I hope they made it alright…_ she thought to herself. Nearly instantly after that her thoughts changed as she noticed something ahead of her. _I hope _I _make it alright…_ On a large branch ahead of her, three Sand ninja stood, blocking her path. They were completely different from the trio that she had met during the night. These had a bold, slightly cocky air about them and obviously had no fear of taking things to a fight. It was apparent that they were waiting for her. Sakura glanced off at either side of her. _If I try to run for it, they could just cut me off easily. Better to take the direct approach and hope for the best. _She landed on a branch directly across from the group and stood ready.

For a minute, the four of them just stood there looking across at each other. Then the foremost Sand ninja spoke. "So what's a cute little kunoichi like you doing all by yourself in a place like this?" A smirk appeared on his face. "You could get hurt." His two teammates chuckled behind him.

Sakura stood her ground and said nothing, waiting for them to move. They were obviously just toying with her.

"Not gonna give us an answer, huh?" the Sand ninja said. "That's rude. Looks like you need to be taught some manners…" He nodded to his teammate on his right, who smirked before adjusting something on his arm. Sakura noticed he had bracers wrapped around his arms that led to sharp, jagged claws on the ends. She began building up chakra in her right fist. The claw guy launched off the branch right toward her.

"Blazing Arrow!!" Just as the Sand ninja was about to get within striking distance, Onaki came shooting out of the trees off to Sakura's right, one leg out, consumed in a blaze of fire that swept backwards as he shot like missile into the Sand ninja's side. He made a direct hit and continued right on, the Sand ninja being propelled along in front of him by his leg… straight into another tree. The Sand ninja's body hit with a sickening crunch followed by an explosion of flames that consumed both the Sand ninja and Onaki.

Sakura gasped until she saw Onaki come flipping out of the mess to land on the branch next to her, ready for the next attack. "Thanks for the save," she said.

Onaki grunted. "Only 'cause I need you intact to continue on."

"So you weren't alone after all," the Sand leader said. "This makes it a whole lot more fun." Without warning, he and his teammate launched off the branch to appear above Onaki and Sakura. The leader formed hand seals quickly. "Acid Missile Jutsu!!" he said, before shooting three blasts of olive green liquid from his mouth. Onaki and Sakura dodged off separate ways as the blasts splattered on the branch where they had stood, burning and hissing through it.

Onaki landed on another branch, facing toward the two Sand ninja. "Fireball Barrage!!" he shouted, moving his fists back and forth like pistons. Each time his arm extended all the way, a burning ball of fire was released, shooting en masse toward the two Sand ninja. They also split off form each other to dodge and the fireballs continued on the path on they exploded on contact with the upper foliage.

Sakura found herself having to dodge burning branches that were knocked down by Onaki's attack and punches from the third Sand ninja. "Quit… moving… around!!" he said between punches. "Enough of this lightweight stuff," he said, forming hand seals. "Stone Fist Jutsu!" His right fist transformed into a larger, rocklike version of itself. "Take this!" he shouted, slamming his fist down at her. Sakura dodged, but the spot where she had stood was pulverized, causing the branch to break away from the tree.

Sakura landed on a different branch a ways lower from the one she had just been on, looking up. The Sand ninja leaped down after her, fist out in front. Sakura dodged again, this time the Sand ninja's fist went right through the branch, his moment carrying him on through branches as well, each one being smashed to splinters. _Gotta end this quick…_ Sakura thought. _Or there won't be much place to dodge anymore._

As she thought this, the Sand ninja came up and landed on the branch she was on. "I thought I told you to quit moving!!" he said, making random swipes at her with his overly large fist.

Sakura ducked the swipes, backing off down the branch. She made a quick glance behind her at the end of the branch that was approaching. _Gotta make a stand here, _she thought, beginning to build up chakra in her fist again.

Her opponent had noticed the end of the branch coming up as well. "Heh, no place to run!" he said, swinging his stone fist in her direction again.

"Now!!" Sakura shouted, launching her own fist right at his. Things seemed to move in slow motion. The two fists contacted, but only for a brief moment. The Sand ninja's fist of stone shattered and Sakura took the opportunity to slam her other fist into his shocked face. He was knocked out instantly, slumping down onto the branch. Sakura stood over him, breathing hard. _Ow…_ she thought, shaking her hand out a little. _I need to get gloves or something if I'm going to keep doing that… Now where'd Onaki go…?_ The sound of an explosion off to her right answered that question. Sakura took off in pursuit of the sound.

Onaki and the remaining Sand ninja were locked in an intense hand-to-hand fight, though Onaki was gaining the upper hand thanks to his added blasts of fire. As soon as the Sand ninja saw Sakura approaching, he broke off, knowing he was outnumbered. He quickly formed hand seals in mid-air. "Poison Breath Jutsu!" He took a deep breath and exhaled hard, blowing out a large cloud of purplish gas that covered the area.

Sakura and Onaki were forced to cover their faces to protect themselves. They both leaped clear of the cloud only to find that the Sand ninja had gone. Onaki turned away immediately, heading in the direction Sakura had been headed in initially. Sakura followed him after a moment.

* * *

Later on, coming up toward sunset, the two of them arrived at their meeting point. They had traveled in silence, Onaki leading and Sakura staring at his back. Kaio was already there. "Took you long enough," he said, waving. "I was about to head off."

"No you weren't," Onaki said flatly.

"OK, you got me!" Kaio admitted, a huge grin covering his face. Sakura noticed that Kaio looked a little beat up.

"Did you run into some trouble?" she asked.

Kaio shrugged. "Oh you know, random ninja attacking you out of nowhere. Comes with the locale."

"You ran into Kiba, didn't you?" Onaki said, glaring at him.

Kaio was unfazed by Onaki's attitude. "You could say that," he said, continuing in his off-hand manner.

"So you lost the key. I knew you would," Onaki continued. "Lucky I'm here to cover up your stupid actions." He pulled out his "8" key. "Now we're back at the start."

"Hey!" Sakura cut in. "I've got one too!" She pulled out her own key that she had obtained.

"Well, whaddya know?" Kaio said, completely ignoring Onaki's statements. "Looks like we've got a match! Now to find that last key…"

"Oh right…" Sakura said. "It could be anywhere in this huge forest…"

"Not necessarily," Kaio said. "If whoever placed the keys did it at random, it would be virtually impossible to find a complete set. There must be some layout to it…" He struck upon an idea. "Hey! You two went in opposite directions from here, following the perimeter, right?" Sakura and Onaki nodded. "So it's safe to say that you went about the same distance in each direction before you found the keys. In that case…" Kaio squatted down and carved out a circle in the branch they were on with his kunai. He marked an X on the center of the lower half of the circle. "This is where we are now." He circled two points about an equal distance from the X on either side. "So this is about the points where the keys were. In that case, maintaining an equal distance between each of the keys, the third one should be…" He circled another point, directly across from the X. "There."

"But that's clear on the other side of the forest," Sakura said in disbelief.

"Yea, but it's the best guess," Kaio explained. "Look." He drew lines connecting each of the points he had circled. They formed a perfect triangle. "Each of the keys is equidistant form the others in its set. Probably all the sets were placed in this fashion, on different points on different circles, too most likely."

"Oh, I get it now!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Then I guess we'd better get moving," Kaio responded, standing up. "We've got three days left."

Onaki stared at the diagram. "I don't think it would be that simple, but it's the best lead we've got. However, if it turns out to be a wild goose chase, I'm taking it out on you," he finished, glaring at Kaio.

Kaio grinned cheerily back. "Optimistic as always, Aki-kun! Let's get a move on!"

With that, the three of them took off towards the center of the forest. However, in the trees above them, other eyes studied the diagram they had left. "Heh. Thanks for the hint, reject."

* * *

Not much of a cliffy, but whatever. Only one more chapter to go in the second exam and then we get to the really fun part! The third exam! (rubs hands together) I can't wait; I've been waiting for this part right from the beginning! The drama! The suspense! The explosions! The secrets revealed! The beatdowns! In the meanwhile, review! And in your review, please tell me who you think is going to face who, and maybe who's going to win. All the matches are set, right up to the finals. (rubs hands again) So! Much! Fun! Can't! Stand! It! Reviewz, lolz. 


	8. Sidetracked to the Finish

Alright, final chapter in the second exam… I just wanna get it over and done with. Read on, fair viewers!

* * *

It was getting on toward mid-afternoon on the fourth day in the forest. Teams were starting to make their way to the tower. A couple had already entered. All the rest, however, knew that their time was running out and some were getting desperate. One particular trio, a group from the Rain village, had staked out on the edge of the clearing in which the tower lay. They hoped to ambush an unsuspecting team as they used their keys to open the door.

One of them thought he heard something coming and tapped the others silently. Together they watched as a Leaf team, a brown-haired boy, a blonde-haired boy, and a pink-haired girl, entered the clearing. The Leaf trio approached the tower and walked around to the other side. The Rain group tailed them silently. However, much to the Rain team's surprise and dismay, the Leaf trio shot back into the trees on the other side of the clearing. They looked at each other in confusion before escaping back to the seclusion of their stake out.

* * *

Kaio led the way through the forest, having worked out their direction from the setting sun while they were in the clearing. "The third key should be about another half a day's travel this way," he said.

"Cutting it kind of close, aren't we?" Sakura asked. "That only leaves less than a day to find the key and then get back to the tower!"

"We can do it, no prob," Kaio reassured her. "Just start to keep your eyes open. The location is only a rough guess and someone might have picked it up anyway."

Onaki traveled at the rear of the trio in silence. He was already starting to look for signs of a key. He kept having this nagging feeling that something or someone was close by, but there was nothing to confirm it otherwise. So he ignored it for the moment.

However, traveling on a higher level of branches, another team was tracking them. They were another Leaf team, the same age as Kaio and Onaki. One of them, a boy with spiky black hair and bleached tips, nodded to one of his teammates. "You ready?"

His teammate, a girl with reddish blonde hair in two thin ponytails, nodded, talking around the object she held in her mouth. "Whenever."

"Go ahead then."

She began forming hand seals. The boy looked down where he could see Kaio and his team moving through the foliage, smirking. "Let's see you find your way out of this… reject."

Sakura sensed something, though she couldn't exactly say what. She stopped on a particularly large branch… or at least that's what she thought. She suddenly found herself plummeting through the trees. She tried grabbing onto passing branches, but her hand seemed to pass right through them. Finally, she caught onto one, stopping abruptly. Slowly, she pulled herself up onto it, looking down at the forest floor. _What happened…?_

Kaio landed next to her, asking the exact same question. He seemed to be trying not to laugh. "What happened?" he asked. "You all of a sudden decide to stop in mid-air?"

"No," Sakura answered indignantly. "I was stopping on a branch."

"Well you sure picked the wrong place to stop. There wasn't even a branch there…"

"Yes there was!" Sakura said forcefully. "I'm positive…" Her voice broke off all of a sudden. "How're you doing that?"

"What?" Kaio said, looking around.

"_That,_" Sakura repeated, staring at Kaio's feet. "You're standing on nothing."

Kaio looked down at his own feet. "Nope, there's a branch there alright…" He looked up at her, grinning. "If you're trying to play a joke then you're sure bad at them." Kaio all of a sudden noticed something. "Hey… is it just me or does this branch just look like it's floating in mid-air?"

Sakura glanced at either end of the large branch. "Um… no. The trunk is right behind you…"

"Seriously?" Kaio turned and looked. "Nothing there…" He walked forward a few steps. "Oh wait, there it is. Geez, that was close. It appeared right before I walked into it." He glanced back at Sakura, only to find himself looking out on empty air. "Hey. Where'd you go?"

"Where'd I go?" Sakura scoffed. "I'm standing right where I was."

Realization of what was going on struck both of them at virtually the same time. "Genjutsu!" Simultaneously, the two of them formed a single hand seal. "Release!" Momentarily, the two of them had a vision of shattering glass with reality reflected upon each little piece of it. Then everything returned to normal.

Kaio rubbed at his eyes a little. "Well, that was interesting. At least we know that we're being trailed by someone now."  
Sakura nodded. "We'd better catch up to Onaki. I'm assuming he didn't bother to stop when he saw me fall?"

Kaio nodded grinning. "You sure know how to read a guy."

The black haired guy watched the two of them launch off, fuming. He whirled upon his teammate. "What the heck was that, Meki?! Did you see how easily they broke out of it?!"

The titian-haired girl shrugged, leaning against the trunk of a tree. "You just said to put it on 'em, not try to keep it on 'em," she stated matter-of-factly, before selecting another stick of chocolate Pocky from her side holster and sticking into her mouth at a jaunty angle. "Next time be a little more descriptive, Kuja-_sama_," she added sarcastically.

Kuja looked as if he was going to punch Meki in the face until the third member of their team, a solemn looking girl with short black hair, cut in. Literally. She quickly unsheathed the katana she kept on her back and swung it between the two, sending it slicing deep into the branch the three of them were positioned on. "Don't start, you two. We should be going after them, not wasting time arguing amongst ourselves."

Kuja grunted, but relaxed. Meki removed the Pocky from her mouth, inspecting the small portion that she had sucked the chocolate coating off of. She hadn't even flinched when the blade had struck, inches from her foot. "Tactful as ever, Kirai. But yea, we should get moving." She bit off the sucked-on part before shoving the stick further into her mouth. "Shall we?" Without another word, the three of them shot off into the forest.

* * *

It was beginning to get dark as Kaio called them to a halt. "OK, if my theory's correct, the third key should be somewhere around this spot. Spread out and search. Aki, you take the forest floor, Sakura you check the midlevel branches, and I'll head for the canopy. Got it?" Kaio bounded upward through the leaves without waiting for a response.

Onaki grumbled something incomprehensible and dropped off, shooting for the floor. Sakura began scanning the various branches and foliage around her. _Now if I were a proctor where would I hide a key…?_ She glanced slightly upward to see a gigantic wasp's nest with the key stuck into the entrance hole like a cork. There was already an ominous sound of angry buzzing.

* * *

Kaio neared the highest branches of the trees, seeing reddish sunlight pour through the cracks between the leaves. _This is so cool… but I can't exactly stop and admire the scenery now._ He had just begun to search around when a noise not far below him attracted his attention. Pressing himself flat to a branch on his stomach, he peered over the edge into the criss-cross of nature below. He could make out three figures that seemed concentrated on something even farther below them. _The Genjutsu culprits anyone?_ Kaio thought grinning to himself. _I've either gotta try and distract them from the others while they search or try and get around these guys to the others. That'll take too much time, so distract it is!_ _Or why not two birds with one stone?_

Without another thought, Kaio rolled off the branch and dropped straight down right onto the lead figure's head. It swore loudly as Kaio's body made contact with it. Kaio quickly rolled off and leaped over to another nearby branch. "Well well, still haven't cleaned out that mouth, eh Kuja?" he said, addressing the one he had landed on. "Though you did get your face pretty good…"

"You shut the hell up, Kaio!" Kuja growled dangerously. "Like I should take any lip from you, you reject!"

"Why not?" Kaio responded calmly. "You could learn a thing or two. That reject thing is getting so old…"

Kuja couldn't take any more of Kaio's attitude, so he launched himself right at him, yelling. "Shut up!! Graaaah!!"

Kaio calmly stepped to one side as Kuja swung a fist in his direction. Kuja only succeeded in wiping out a chunk of tree that stood just behind where Kaio had been. Kuja continued swinging in his rage and Kaio continued dodging, a smirk planted on his face.

"Don't you think we should help?" Kirai whispered to Meki.

Meki continued chomping on her Pocky. "Nah, let Kuja handle it. 'Sides, it's funny."

Sakura was busy pondering a way to get the key out of the nest without getting swarmed when she heard the commotion in the upper branches. "Kaio!" she said, before shooting up to assist him. She ground to a halt as she saw Kaio making a mockery of Kuja. "Um… need help?"

Kaio winked at her before ducking another Kuja haymaker. "I got it covered here." He went back to talking to Kuja. "So whatcha want with me anyway? Non-target practice?"

Kuja began swinging harder, if that was even possible, emphasizing each whiff with a word. "Shut! The! Hell! Up!"

Kaio neatly back-flipped up a trunk, standing out over Kuja parallel to the branch. "I think you're just wasting time and energy. You've got all of your keys after all, doncha?"

Kirai gave a little start while Meki merely raised an eyebrow. Kuja glared at him. "How did you know that?"

Kaio grinned. "Just a guess. Anyway, it doesn't make much sense for you to be out here chasing me when you could be heading in seal your place in the third exam."

"No, I wanna pound you now because it's guaranteed!" Kuja said, leaping up at Kaio. Kaio launched himself out and over to the branch behind Kuja. "And the third exam isn't? Trust me, we'll be there." Kaio glanced over at Sakura who nodded. "So save it for the right time and place otherwise none of us'll make it to being a Chuunin."

Kuja continued glaring at him, clenching his fists. "What he says makes sense," Kirai finally said.

"Yea…" Meki agreed. "Much as I liked seeing him make an idiot out of you, the guy's got a point. C'mon Kuja, we've already got our set, so why're we out here risking missing the deadline just on your little revenge streak? Let's go already!"

Kuja was furious, glancing from Meki to Kaio and back. He couldn't decide which one he wanted to pulverize more. Eventually, he gave up. "Alright, but if I don't see you at the third, then I'm comin' after you!"

Kaio grinned at them as the trio pulled out. "I'm not goin' anywhere!" he called after them, then turned to Sakura. "So what's the deal?"

"I found the key, but it's kind of… stuck," Sakura explained.

"Stuck, huh?" Kaio repeated. "What kind of stuck?"

"Like stuck in giant nest of wasps that's about to explode kind of stuck."

"Oh, that's nothin'." Kaio said, waving a hand. "Go get Onaki and tell him to be ready to move. I've got a plan."

Sakura nodded and shot back down into the lower levels. _What kind of plan?_ she wondered.

* * *

Several minutes later, the three of them were lined up right underneath the nest that held their key to advancement. Kaio smirked up at it. "Piece a cake," he said.

Onaki glared at it. "Why don't I just blast it?"

"'Cause then you might burn up the key with it," Kaio explained with just a hint of "duh" in his voice. "My way's better. You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up."

"What are you going to do?" Sakura asked, still very aware of the angry buzzing.

"Dash at it full speed and snatch the key out as I go past," Kaio said beaming.

"What if you miss?" Sakura pointed out.

Kaio waved her off. "I don't miss, now go on both of you." He began backing up in order to gain some speed.  
Onaki rolled his eyes but took off. If Kaio wanted to be an idiot and get swarmed, it wasn't his problem. Sakura said a simple "Good luck" before following him. She kept her ears open as she traveled. Then a few minutes afterward she heard a loud crash, swiftly followed by buzzing and loud laughter that was rapidly approaching.

Kaio came blazing out of the trees behind him, the key in his hand, laughing his head off. "Better step on it," he warned. "Those things are madder than Kuja!" The three of them accelerated until the buzzing faded into the distance. Kaio was still laughing despite being out of breath. "That was the most fun I've ever had…" he finally gasped out.

"What was that crash?" Sakura asked.

"The darn nest came off the branch with the key. So I hurled into a fork, yanked out the key and ran like hell!" Kaio explained. "So much fun…" He broke into giggles again. Sakura couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"You are such a moron…" Onaki muttered.

"Maybe," Kaio said. "But I got us the third key. Now let's get back to that tower!"

* * *

After taking a short rest during the night, the team continued moving on toward the tower. The next day passed uneventfully. They mostly traveled in silence though occasionally Kaio and Sakura would chat. Onaki remained stoic.

It was nearing late afternoon when they reached the clearing for the second time. Kaio approached it confidently. "C'mon, let's get in there!" he said marching off.

"Shouldn't we make sure it's safe…?" Sakura wondered.

"There's no one here," Kaio assured her. "Otherwise, they would have set on us already. Now c'mon!"

Kaio led the way around the tower, naming off the numbered doors as they went. "Ten… Nine… Ah here we go, eight! Well, who wants to go first? We each got one you know, so…"

"Just shut up and put them in already," Onaki grumbled. He really just wanted this phase of the exam over with so that he didn't have to rely on his teammates anymore.

"Aki-kun! Thank you for volunteering! Step right up…" Kaio bowed out of the way gracefully as Onaki stepped up, fuming.

Onaki shoved his key into the first hole and twisted hard to the left. A small click issued and he stepped back. "Can we please hurry this up…?"

Kaio beckoned to Sakura who followed suit to Onaki, though not quite as roughly handled. Kaio went last, turning the key with a flourish. The door swung slightly open outwards. "Well, it's been a pleasure," Kaio said saluting. He would have gone on further but Onaki shoved him through.

"Just get in there, you idiot."

Sakura walked through last and the door shut behind them. They were in a small hallway, the walls of which seemed made of stone. It was very plain not much to look at. Kaio seemed ready to explode from excitement as they walked down it. "I wonder if everyone else made it through OK?" he said.

"I hope so…" Sakura answered, suddenly realizing that she hadn't even given a thought to the other teams since they entered the forest.

The hallway suddenly gave way to a large arena like opening. There were about ten or so other teams already waiting there. Most turned to look as the newest arrivals entered, but the others seemed more focused on what lay ahead. Kaio bounded out into the crowd, going right up to a group of familiar faces. "Hey Lee, I see you made it out alright."

Lee turned around with a start, but smiled brightly when he saw Kaio and then Sakura approaching. "Ah, it is good to see you too, Kaio! And you too Sakura," he added quickly.

Sakura nodded. "Hi, Lee." She glanced around at the crowd. "So have you all just been waiting here like this?"

Lee nodded. "We only just got here this morning. They gave us some food and a 'Good job' but not much else."

"My guess is they'll get this started soon," Kaio said. "It's getting really close to sundown out there. Did Kiba's team make it in?"

Lee nodded again. "They were over that way the last time I saw them. They came in about two or so hours ago."

Kaio would've dashed right over to say hello but, in a puff of smoke, the proctors appeared. At the forefront of the group was a very imposing looking ninja with a scarred face and dressed in all black. He took the lead immediately. "Listen up all of you. My name is Morino Ibiki and I'll be heading up this part of the exams. First off, let me congratulate all of you for making it this far. From this point forward, you will be competing as individuals, not as teams. If there's anyone here who does not feel that they can go further or does not wish to go further, speak up now because it only gets tougher from here." A single ninja, who had his right arm in a rough sling, nodded to his teammates and then raised his good arm to signal he was leaving. Ibiki nodded to him. "You may go." He took one last scan around the room. "Anyone else?" No one moved. "Very well then. Now, to explain this part of the exam. There are too many of you here to continue further on, so to narrow down the playing field the next part of the exam will take the form of a tournament. Because there are so many of you this time around, the tournament will be a two round, single elimination, consisting of one-on-one battles. This means you have to win twice in order to advance. You may go all out in these battles, using whatever tactics necessary to secure victory, even going to the death. I will be judging the battles. They will go until one combatant concedes defeat, dies, or until I step in and say that the match in over. It is our aim that no one ultimately be killed in these matches but there still is that possibility. Are there any questions?" There were none. "Alright, all of you proceed to the observation platforms lining either side of the arena. The first match will begin shortly."

The crowd began dispersing to go to either side of the arena, up a short flight of stairs to the observation positions that were on opposite sides of the arena. Kaio caught sight of Kuja glaring at him as they headed to opposite sides. Kaio, Sakura, and Lee headed up to the right side where they were joined by Kiba, Hinata, and Shino as well as Tenten and Neji. Kaio waved to them. "See you guys made it through alright."

Kiba started saying something but another puff of smoke interrupted him. Kakashi appeared behind them. "Hey," he said. Kurenai and Gai joined them as well. All over the arena, the team's sensei had all appeared.

"Oh hey, sensei," Kaio greeted, not the slightest put off by his sudden appearance. "Been bored without us?"

"Not especially…" Kakashi answered. "Well, this should be an interesting third exam."

Kaio grinned. "Oh yea…"

Once Ibiki saw that everyone had cleared the center arena, he called for silence. He pointed to a large dark screen at the front of the arena. "The match up for each battle will be randomly decided and appear there. When your name appears, please proceed down to the center arena as quickly as possible. With all that said, let the preliminaries begin!"

All eyes turned to the screen as random names began flashing up as the first match was randomly chosen. With anticipation, fear, and nervousness they all watched the screen. The screen that, for the next few hours, would control their fate.

* * *

Yes, I'm going to be a total jerk and not tell you what the first match is going to be. P It'll give you something to talk about in your reviews. 'Till next time, later days! 


	9. Flames of Fury, Winds of Fate

Ta-da, chapter nine! I bet you've all been wondering what that first match is going to be. Well, I think you'll find out this time around. So I'll let you get right to that. Oh yea, and from this point on, I'll try putting in the Japanese names of the moves. If anything doesn't translate right, then let me know.

* * *

Sakura watched closely as the names flashed across the screen, trying to catch some of the names of her competition. Next to her, Kaio watched with an excited grin on his face. However both of their moods darkened a bit when the first match was finalized.

**_Ryuzaki Onaki vs. Aburame Shino_**

Sakura and Kaio both glanced down the railing where Shino and his teammates stood. Shino silently jumped the rail to take his place in the arena. A small smirk appeared on Onaki's face as he performed a similar action. Kaio gritted his teeth as the two of them faced off in the center of the arena. "I hate to say it but I think Shino's going down…"

Kiba heard him and whirled to face him, not very happy that Kaio was so quick to count out his teammate. "You obviously don't know Shino."

"No I don't," Kaio responded. "But I do know Onaki. And I can probably guess what he's going to do…"

Ibiki glanced at each of the two Genin as they silently faced each other. "Ready?" A silent nod came from each. "Begin!"

Onaki attacked straight off, leaping towards Shino with a fist ready to strike. Shino ducked to one side as the fist came down and then jumped out of the way when the fire blast went off.

Onaki backed off for a second to watch for his next move. In the meantime, Shino was preparing for his own technique. Sakura cringed a bit as insects began crawling out from various places underneath Shino's clothing. "That always creeps me out…" she muttered. "How can he not even flinch with those things crawling on him?"

Kaio shrugged. "He's used to it, I guess." He noted something on the other side of the arena. "Hey, looks like you're not the only one who's creeped out." He pointed to another girl on the opposite side of the arena. She was dead pale and staring in horror at Shino. "I wonder what she would've done if she'd been slated to face Shino, eh?"

Lee waved at them for silence. "Onaki is making another move," he warned.

Onaki had duly noted the growing population of bugs on Shino and decided to move in before things got too crowded. A short dash bringing him within striking distance, he stalled on one leg and swung the other in a wide arc aimed at Shino's head. Shino leapt backward and then was forced to leap up right afterwards to avoid the shockwave of flame Onaki had let off with his kick. Instead of backing off, this time Onaki followed Shino, whipping around on his other foot and launching up into the air on an intercept course.

Kiba watched the mid-air exchange with a smirk. "Looks like your buddy can't land a hit," he commented to Kaio. "Once Shino gets out of his range, it's all over. Shino can send his bugs in to attack from a distance without once endangering himself."

Kaio turned to face Kiba, an impassive look on his face. "And just what is Onaki's range, in your opinion?"

As if to prove Kaio's point, the two broke off, landing at opposite sides of the arena. Shino stretched out an arm toward Onaki, silently commanding his legion of tiny followers to commence the attack. A black buzzing cloud zoomed across the arena toward Onaki, but he saw it coming. With a few deft motions with his hands, he had formed a few hand seals and was back on the attack. "_Hidama Rendan!!"_ (Fireball Barrage) Onaki yelled, the first talking to go on between either of the combatants. As Onaki's arms moved like pistons, ball after blazing ball of fire launched away to intercept the black cloud. The cloud sensed the attack coming and broke up, but not before at least one of the flaming attacks had engulfed some of its numbers.

Kaio gave Kiba another look. "Your friend may have the greater numbers, but his bugs still have no defense against fire… and Onaki knows it. This battle will be over very shortly. Watch."

Kiba noticed a strange conflict of emotions in Kaio. He appeared to be defending his friend's ability while at the same time not being proud about doing it. His tone was like that of simply stating something that just couldn't be helped. Confused, Kiba turned back to the arena.

Shino continued the long distance attack, hoping that some of his insects would make it through, while at the same time knowing it wasn't working. He was stuck trying to think of something that would work. Meanwhile Onaki kept the bugs at bay with short, dispersed blasts of fire in all directions. Finally, Onaki saw his chance as there was a break in the waves of insects. He quickly formed four hand seals. _Uma Usagi Nezumi Ryu _A tongue of flame ignited on the end of his extended fingers. "_Katon_: _Hinotomi Kaen no jutsu_!" (Fire Style: Consuming Flame Jutsu) Onaki shouted as the fire spread over his entire body, completely engulfing it. All there was to see was a pillar of fire in the shape of Onaki.

Gai raised an eyebrow. "Well, I certainly didn't teach him _that_," he muttered.

"It's an interesting jutsu to be sure," Kakashi commented. "Though I wonder how he can stand it. A normal person would be completely consumed by the flame…"

"That's where Onaki's Kekkei Genkai comes into play," Kaio responded, not turning from the arena. "His body can withstand inhuman temperatures. In short, being lit on fire to him is nothing more than a hot summer day. That's how he can use that jutsu." Kaio let out a short sigh. "The _Hinotomi Kaen no jutsu _entirely consumes Onaki's body in fire. It literally means 'flame that swallows' and as you can see, it gives him an impenetrable defense against those bugs, unless Shino knows any good _Suiton_ (Water Style) jutsu. Not only that, but it also increases his speed and 'fire' power."

Sakura couldn't help but notice that the ground underneath Onaki was beginning to let off steam as it heated up dangerously. She could only say "Wow…" Beside her, Lee gripped the railing harder.

Without warning, the flaming man shot across the arena straight for Shino. Shino barely had time to react as a flaming fist plunged into his chest. Unfortunately for Onaki, it turned out just to be a clone made up of Shino's signature insects.

Kiba smiled a bit. "Saved…" he breathed.

"Not for long," Kaio muttered, resting his chin on the railing in front of him. "It's only a matter of time now…"

Down on the field, Onaki looked this way and that for his opponent, finally discovering him on top of the large statue that dominated the back of the arena. Leaving a trial of flame in his wake, the figure streaked back across the arena and straight up the side of the statue. Shino jumped off just in time, sending a few kunai flying on target as he headed to the ground. A flash of light caught his attention below him. Onaki had cut back the instant Shino had launched off the statue and was now directly below him, ready to strike. There wasn't much else Shino could do in mid-air as Onaki came blazing upwards to intercept. As they drew level, Shino noticed a flicker of a smirk within the flames before it unleashed a flurry of fiery blows on him. It was the last thing he saw before being catapulted toward the arena floor, wreathed in flame, courtesy of Onaki's leg. A small explosion of flames ensued as Shino hit the ground.

Hinata gasped and put a hand over her mouth. Akamaru whimpered. Kiba simply stared. "I… I can't believe Shino went down so easily…" he said almost as if in a daze.

"It's not completely about the gap in skill," Kaio explained. "These exams are as much about dumb luck than anything else. Shino just got paired against the person who could perfectly counter his attacks, and that was Onaki."

Ibiki stood over the unconscious Shino, eyes darting over the badly burned body to be sure he wasn't dead. "The match goes to Ryuzaki Onaki," he finally declared, at the same time signaling the medical staff on hand to come out and collect the wounded.

The flames died down around Onaki and he deliberately turned and smirked at Kaio, who just stared back, before returning to his spot in the observation platform. Lee watched him walk back, his grip tightening on the rail even more. The other competitors gave Onaki a bit of space as he approached, smoke still hanging in the air above him.

Ibiki got everyone's attention as he cleared his throat. "Please show the combatants for the second match," he directed. The screen began flashing through names again. The anticipation level was now going higher with the preliminaries actually being started. After a moment or two, the names finally registered.

**_Takuma Tori vs. Tenten_**

Kaio glanced down the line to Tenten who took a deep breath before jumping the rail. "Good luck," Lee shouted after her. Kaio gave her a thumbs-up. Tenten flashed a quick smile back before heading to the center of the arena.

Tenten's opponent, Takuma Tori, was a somewhat tall Cloud ninja who wore a black jumpsuit with a blue jacket over it. His headband was tied around his waist, much like Lee's. He had brown hair with a widow's peak in the center of his head. Tied around both of his upper arms were small charms that resembled wings. As he approached the center of the arena, he was strapping on what appeared to be a kind of brass knuckle weapon only the knuckles resembled talons.

Sakura apparently recognized him. "Hey, that's the Cloud ninja who caught the first '1' key!"

Kiba let out a sigh. "Yea, we ran into him and his group. That's how we got our third key. But now I see what you mean about the 3rd exams being about luck, Kaio."

Kaio raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Kiba nodded toward Tori. "That guy," he explained, "uses _Fuuton_ (Wind Style) jutsu."

Both Sakura and Lee had a brief flashback of someone with a similar fighting technique completely, for lack of a better term, beating the crap out of Tenten the last go round of the Chuunin exams. Sakura sighed and leaned further down on the railing. "Looks like this'll be a really short fight as well…"

Lee remained focused on the two combatants. "Do not underestimate Tenten," he advised. But inside he was beginning to feel quite worried.

Down on the arena floor, the competitors faced off before Ibiki gave them the signal to begin. However, once the signal was given, they both remained facing each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Tenten watched her opponent carefully while trying to plan a strategy. _I'll stay back for a bit to see if I can figure out his fighting style then…_ Her thoughts were rudely interrupted as Lee and Gai began cheering her on from the sidelines.

"Go Tenten!"

"Explode with the power of youth!"

Tenten groaned internally as the cheering continued. _Great… This may be a stupid move on my part, but at least it'll shut them up._ Reaching into the pack on her belt, Tenten leaped backwards and hurled three kunai in Tori's direction at staggered intervals. Because Tori had been waiting patiently for a move to be made, he easily dodged to the side as the kunai clattered to the floor where he had stood.

As soon as Tenten had landed she had already pulled out a few more weapons from her arsenal. She strafed off to the left, following a circular pattern around Tori, and sniped at him with shuriken. Tori moved about constantly, silently and impassively. _Alright, I think I've figured out his movement pattern,_ Tenten thought. _This should get him._ Tenten threw a spread of shuriken and kunai in Tori's general direction, covering all locations he might move to. Tori immediately stepped up his movement, even being forced to fend a few off with his talon like weapons, but Tenten kept the weapons coming, flying fast and thick.

Then, suddenly, Tori stopped. He stood his ground facing the oncoming onslaught but brought his arm back. "_Kaze Bakufuu!!"_ (Wind Blast) he suddenly shouted, bringing his arm shooting forward, his palm facing the attack. A burst of wind blew forth and scattered the weapons, clearing a safe path for him. Tenten shielded her face from the sudden burst of air as her weapons clattered to the floor around her. _Well, that was… unexpected,_ she thought. _Time to rethink this a little…_

As it happened, Tenten didn't have much time to think because suddenly Tori came on the attack. "_Nibai Kaze Bakufuu!"_ (Double Wind Blast) Tori shot a strong blast of wind in Tenten's direction with his palm, causing her to shield her face again, but the second blast came from his feet, quickly accelerating him towards Tenten, talons raised for attack. Tenten barely had time to react as he came on top of her, but she managed to pull out two kunai and block his talons with them, holding them crosswise to keep the talons from coming down onto her body. The two of them stood there, straining against each other until Tenten decided to pull out of it. She pushed upwards, tucked her body in and plunged both feet into Tori's stomach. Tori managed to block his unused forearm, but Tenten still shoved off, flipping away a short distance. There was a short pause as both combatants took a quick breather, then the fight ensued once more as they clashed multiple times, fighting hand to hand now, with both the talons and kunai coming into play to block each other.

"Well, this is certainly lasting longer than the last time…" Sakura observed from the sidelines. Lee and Gai continued their cheering now that the fight had really picked up.

Back on the arena floor, Tenten broke away momentarily, jumping back and throwing the two kunai she had been using up until that point. Tori didn't have time to dodge but blocked with his arms crossed. One kunai cut his left shoulder while the other sliced right through the strap holding on his talon weapons. They clattered to the ground. Tori glared at Tenten for a moment, but then closed his eyes and began forming hand seals at a rapid pace.

Tenten pulled out a few more kunai. _Better end this while I have a chance._ She flung them at the instant that Tori finished his hand seals. As the kunai approached him, they seemed to slow down. Then they stopped entirely, hanging in the air for a second and then were suddenly blasted with tremendous force toward the sidewalls.

"What the?!" Tenten exclaimed. But then she noticed a large orb of swirling air in front of Tori, which seemed to be floating inches above his hands.

Tori slowly opened his eyes before speaking the name of this technique. "_Fuuton: Tastumaki Kachuu no jutsu!"_ (Wind Style: Tornado Vortex Jutsu)

* * *

lol cliffy. I am so evil. Review peoples! And see ya next time.

Ryuzaki Onaki appears courtesy of 00zags, outfit creds to Heaven Sealed.  
Takuma Tori appears courtesy of Vyser Dragoon.


	10. Tempered Strength

OKAY! I'm back. XD When last we left our favorite ninja they were in the middle of observing Tenten's battle in the 3rd exam prelims. (ZOMG! She lasted more than five seconds!) Why don't we pick up at that point, eh?

* * *

"_Fuuton: Tastumaki Kachuu no Jutsu!"_ The name echoed around the arena as there was silence except for the sound of rushing wind from the orb of swirling air that Tori now held in his hands. 

"How can he keep it so contained?" Lee wondered out loud.

Neji, who was positioned further down the rail, activated his Byakugan in order to confirm a suspicion he had. "I was right," he muttered. "He injects his own chakra into the air and then swirls it around, taking the air along with it. Doing so, he can control the air flow within a certain distance, depending on the amount of chakra he outputs."

"Just a moment ago," Kakashi continued, "he trapped the kunai in the vortex, keeping them suspended and then spread his chakra out very quickly, sending the air shooting toward the sides of the air and the kunai along with it."

"Now the question is," Kaio said shifting his gaze to the left a little. "Can Tenten come up with anything to stop it…?"

Down on the arena floor, Tenten was thinking of a way to do just that. _If I try a head on attack, he'll probably just block it with that air vortex of his. Maybe I can find a way to occupy him and then sneak attack…?_ Slowly, Tenten removed a small scroll from her back pouch. Then she went into a series of extremely quick movements, whipping the scroll open, and running her hands along the inside of it. She flung each weapon as it appeared, though it happened so fast that they all seemed to be flung at the same time. The smoke from each weapons summon created a screen for Tenten to hide in as she executed her next move.

Tori didn't seem all that impressed with this turn of events. Without batting an eye, all of Tenten's weapons were sucked into his Vortex and remained there. Then he was aware of movement behind him. Tenten had snuck around to attack him from behind. She was still in mid-air when Tori executed his countermove. Using one hand to contain the Vortex, he used the other to send off another Wind Blast, only this one was much stronger. _"Kaze Haipa-Bakufuu!!"_ (Hyper Wind Blast) Tenten was flung against the far wall and pinned there by the wind as Tori released the kunai he had contained in the Vortex straight toward her in the same movement.

Being pinned, Tenten wasn't able to dodge as the kunai struck. Surprisingly, nothing hit her directly. Instead, they mostly hit around her, either pinning her clothes or striking the wall around her, though some of them did get uncomfortably close. Just when Tenten thought she could breathe a sigh of relief, she spotted one last kunai that Tori had held back. And it was headed dead center for her head. The only thing that could possibly save her this time was that it had been launched in a sideways spin. Like some deadly roulette wheel it spun, all the time coming closer and closer. Finally, it struck home. With a ping, the kunai fell point first into the ground after the handle had dealt a hard blow to the side of Tenten's head. (C'mon guys, did you honestly think I was gonna kill a Canon off?)

Tori turned away, the wind vortex dissipating, as Tenten slumped to the ground unconscious, her clothes ripping where the kunai had been stuck in them. He didn't apparently seem to care whether he had killed her or not, just that the match was over. He retrieved his talons and went back to his spot on the balcony.

Lee looked extremely disappointed as the medics carried Tenten out. "I really thought she might win this time…" he muttered.

"Well, we _did_ half expect this result," Sakura pointed out.

"Yea," Kaio agreed. "What's done is done. Time to focus on our own matches."

The scoreboard of fate began to choose its next victims…

* * *

Over the next hour or so, several more matches took place. Neji easily defeated a Suna ninja while Hinata and Kiba had tougher times with their opponents, though somehow managing to win out in the end. On the other hand, several other competitors stood out among the rest. One of Tori's teammates, Houzan Tachibana, developed a reputation for an animal like viciousness in his Taijutsu, beating his opponent almost to the point of death. Meanwhile, an older Konoha ninja named Zauchi Sanjito showed another version of the power of effectively combined Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, utilizing a staff and _Doton_ (Earth Style) jutsu to bring the match crashing down on his opponent. And Kuja's teammate, Tsurougi Kirai demonstrated her sword and tactical prowess, taking down her opponent without so much as a scratch to either side, merely maneuvering them into a checkmate situation. 

Kaio was getting increasingly excited as each match went on. "I can't wait to get in there!" he repeated over and over. Finally that time came.

**_Hyuuga Kaio vs. Hiamoka Kuja_**

Kaio glanced across the arena to where Kuja was smirking at him. Kaio turned and gave a knowing wink to Sakura and then leaped down in the arena to meet Kuja in the middle of the floor.

"Now this," Lee said, leaning closer to the rail, "should be interesting."

Down on the floor, Kuja faced Kaio, a smirk planted on his face. "I've been waiting a long time for this, reject. You're going down!" Kuja was dressed plainly, with denim pants, a black no sleeve muscle shirt and black wristbands. In any case, it showed his very muscular frame. His forehead protector was tied in the obvious place, beneath his spiked black hair with bleached tips. "Now tie that thing on," he said, pointing at Kaio's forehead protector that hung from his belt loop, "and let's get this started."

"If you insist…" Kaio said, a playful smile on his face as he untied the cloth band. Then he bent down and tied it around his left ankle, leaving one end of the band hanging loose. He straightened up, grinning into Kuja's face who looked as if he were about to explode.

Sakura was left in the dark yet again. "What's going on?" she asked. "Why is Kuja so mad about that?"

Lee explained, trying to contain a slight smile. "Kaio has an interesting habit. He always changes the place where he ties on his forehead protector based on how serious he thinks the fight is. The higher up it is, the more serious he will take it. So…" Lee explained. "Tying it down on his ankle, the lowest possible it can go, is like an indirect insult from Kaio. And Kuja knows it, too."

"Combatants ready?" Ibiki asked. Kaio nodded, standing completely relaxed. Kuja nodded once, short and quick, prepared to charge as soon as Ibiki gave the word. You could almost see smoke rising from his steaming temper. "Begin!!"

True to his temperament, Kuja struck first, leaping across to bring his fist slamming into Kaio's unworried face. Only when he got there, Kaio wasn't. "Missed," Kaio said, from off to Kuja's left. Kuja immediately swung another haymaker in that direction, but once again whiffed it.

Kaio appeared a short distance from him, making a "Bring it" type of gesture. Kuja's rapidly rising temper got the better of him and charged, leaping up into the air above Kaio. Kaio stood there as Kuja came down, raising an eyebrow at his opponent's attack. At the very last second, he back-flipped out of the way as Kuja brought down a literal earth-shattering punch. Kaio remained close by, staying on his hands to go into a helicopter kick. However, he was just far away enough so that the only thing that struck Kuja's face was the trailing end of Kaio's headband, adding insult to insult.

Kuja scrambled up and took off after Kaio, face and pride stinging. "_I'm gonna freakin' kill you!!_" he screamed. Kaio said nothing in return but maintained a "Catch me if you can" attitude, leading Kuja on a brief run around the arena.

Several spectators snickered at Kaio's antics and the absolute fool he was making out of Kuja. Others, like Neji, found it to be complete idiocy. "If he knows he can't touch him, why doesn't he just finish it instead of wasting time and energy…?" Neji murmured

"Because that is not Kaio's style," Lee answered. "He wants to see how much fun he can have with Kuja before he has to finish the match. Or he gets bored. Besides," Lee said, turning back to the arena. "It does not seem like Kaio is having to exert himself very much…"

"That's… ENOUGH!!" Kuja finally shouted. "This is ends _now,_ you freakin' reject!" Kuja formed a quick handseal. "_Ninpou: Suji Akuserure!!"_ (Ninja Art: Muscle Accelerate) Kaio stopped and stared inquisitively as Kuja's already muscular body began to get even more… well, muscular. This didn't come from a super dosage of steroids however. (Though I wouldn't be surprised if Kuja used them…) Instead, Kuja focused his chakra into his muscles, making them grow. Tendons stood out all over Kuja's as his muscles grew to the max possible limit.

"Nice trick," Kaio quipped, not seeming the least bit worried. "You made an idiot into an even bigger idiot all on your own."

"Shut it, reject!" Kuja demanded, his voice slightly deeper now. "Now I've got the strength and power to smash you flat in one punch. Take this!!" he shouted, bringing his fist down on top of Kaio, shattering the ground upon impact. Kuja smirked. "Game over."

"Now I wouldn't go calling your own match," came Kaio's voice. "It's not exactly fair, wouldn't you say?"

Kuja searched around for Kaio frantically, but couldn't find him. "Where are you?!" he demanded.

"Right on top of you," came the reply. There was Kaio, lying nonchalant as you please on Kuja's oversized back. "Funny thing about power," he noted. "It ain't worth a thing if you don't have the speed to actually _hit_ your opponent. Now watch this!!" Kaio flipped off Kuja's back almost lazily, but when he hit the ground he came back with full power. _"Hajiton Dageki!!"_ (Flip Style Strike) Kaio landed on his hands then shoved back off twisting in mid-air, flipping over completely once before contacting both his ankles with Kuja's neck, knocking him flat. Kuja hit the ground with a huge thud.

"Nice going, Kaio!" Sakura shouted from the sidelines.

"It's not over yet…" Lee warned.

"Actually, I think it is…" Kakashi corrected.

"Huh?"

"Just watch…"

Kuja glared at Kaio from his position on the floor. "Watch what?" he spat. "That did nothing to me!!"

"On the contrary," Kaio said. "It did everything to you. With all those muscles getting in the way, you're in a position where you can't get up. A beetle on its back, so to speak. And your technique doesn't have an counter technique to shrink those muscles back down to size, so you're stuck until your chakra runs out from keeping those muscles up."

Kuja strained to disprove Kaio's theory, but when he had expanded his muscles, his limbs had remained the same length so just adding more bulk on to them and the area around them seriously limited his mobility, just as Kaio had said. He lay there struggling. "I'll finish you, dammit!!" he roared. "You're still nothing but a reject!!"

Kaio turned his back on him walking away as Ibiki called the match. "Just remember that this reject is the one who beat you," he said, refastening his forehead protector to its former position hanging from his belt loop. He ignored Kuja's shouting and cursing continually as a team was called in to drag him out of there, returning to his place between Sakura and Lee, who congratulated him.

"There's one thing I've been meaning to ask you though," Sakura said. "Why does Kuja continually call you a 'reject?'"

Kaio rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed a little. "Well, it's all very complicated, so maybe now's not the best time…"

"I'll explain." All of them turned, surprised, down the rail to where the voice had spoken. Neji looked up, glaring directly at Kaio. "He is the reject of the Hyuuga clan! Him and his entire family were disowned years ago!!"

Kaio continued rubbing his neck. "You got me…" he muttered.

* * *

Whoa, big reveal. Way to go, Neji. Anyway, next time, more info on that and more third exam magic. Read and review, you know the drill. Laters. 

Hyuuga Kaio appears courtesy of 00zags  
Hiamoka Kuja appears courtesy of 00zags


	11. Blind Love

Ah, another chapter. I bet you're all saying "Well, it's about f---ing time." Sorry about the delay, this chapter didn't want to cooperate with me.

* * *

Well, we finally get to look into Kaio's past. I bet you're all anxious to do so, so I won't hold you up anymore. Read on, fair viewers…

"The reject of the _Hyuuga clan?_" Sakura repeated in disbelief. "Kaio, what exactly does that mean?"

"Well…" Kaio began.

"It means," Neji interrupted, "that he and his family dishonored the clan in some way and were disowned from it."

Kaio sighed and gave Neji a look. "Geez, you make it sound so depressing. Anyway, since it looks like none of us are involved in the next match," he said glancing down into the arena where Meki was taking on a random Suna ninja, "I guess _I'll_ explain it because Mr. Destiny over there is bound to screw up some of the finer details." Neji glared at Kaio, but Kaio continued as if nothing was going on. "Lessee, where does it start…?"

* * *

_It was about a year or two before I was born. My dad, Hyuuga Keigo, was one of the up 'n' coming shinobi of the Hyuuga clan. He'd always been a big believer in the whole Hyuuga destiny thing, he just had strange ways of showing it. But then he met someone that would change his life forever…

* * *

_

"The usual, please," Keigo said as he slid into his seat at the Ichiraku Ramen stand.

The stand owner nodded and began bustling around behind the counter. "Coming right up, Keigo. Nice day, isn't it?"

Keigo shrugged but he had a playful expression on his face. "I guess it's alright, as far as days go," he said noncommittally. He leaned back so he could see the bright spring day from his seat. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun shone down bright, but not hot, reflecting off the forehead protector strapped around Keigo's head. Two symbols lay there, the obvious one being the leaf symbol of Konoha, but underneath that was the mark of one from the Hyuuga branch family. Otherwise, Keigo wore a black shirt and pants with the Chuunin vest over the shirt and a tan jacket over that with short sleeves. He had long dark hair that formed into spiked bangs in the front and was tied back into a loose ponytail at the base of his neck.

"Order up, Keigo," the stand owner reported, laying down a steaming bowl and a pair of chopsticks in front of him. "Enjoy. It should be pretty good, as far as Ramen goes," he added with a wink.

Keigo sat up, laughing. "I knew you'd come back with that. Much thanks," he said, throwing off a small salute, before breaking apart his chopsticks and digging in.

Keigo was thoroughly immersed in eating his ramen when another person walked up. "I thought I'd find you here," he said shaking his head. "You're so predictable."

Keigo gave a small salute to the newcomer while slurping up some noodles to clear his mouth. "Hey, Mizuiro. What's goin' on?"

Mizuiro took a seat next to his friend. "Nothing especially important, just wanted to check up on you. Make sure you weren't getting into any more trouble."

Keigo turned back to his ramen. "You worry too much." He looked up and smiled at Mizuiro. "But I guess that's your job, isn't it?"

Mizuiro smiled back, laughing. "That's what best friends are for."

* * *

Later, after Keigo had finished his ramen, the two of them walked off down the street together, talking. "You seem more toned down than usual," Mizuiro commented. "But then, maybe that's a good thing, considering your reputation with the clan leaders…"

Keigo walked with his arms behind his head. "Yea, I guess. Though it's mostly been 'cause I've been bored. No fresh ideas…"

Mizuiro sighed. He might have suspected something like that. There was no way that Keigo would stop his mischievous streak just for the sake of reputation. "Just stay out of trouble, please…" Mizuiro turned to his friend, but found he wasn't there. "Keigo?" He spotted Keigo dashing off down an alleyway at top speed. Mizuiro sighed. _What now?_ he groaned internally, but set off after his friend.

* * *

When Mizuiro finally caught up to Keigo, he was in the middle of lecturing a pair of bullies he had apparently taught a sound lesson, in the physical sort of thinking. "Don't you jerks have anything better to do…" Keigo pointed to a young woman who sitting against the wall behind him, the bullies' apparent victim. "…than pick on defenseless civilians!! You guys are a disgrace to the shinobi!" Keigo turned his back on them. "Now get out of here before I get really angry." The two sat there in shock for a moment. "One…" Keigo began, and that set the bullies running.

Keigo sighed and went over to the girl, holding out a hand to help her up. "Are you alright, miss?" he asked. The girl looked up at him and for a moment, Keigo felt extremely strange. It was though all he could see were her bright green eyes. Her voice brought him back down to earth, if only slightly.

"Yes… thank you," she said, taking his hand and standing up. "I guess I shouldn't have walked down this shortcut alone…" she added, slightly embarrassed. "Can I ask your name?"

Keigo was still slightly lost and staring, but Mizuiro hitting him over the head fixed that up pretty quick. "Wha? OW!!"

"Hey," Mizuiro said. "The lady asked you a question…" he said, nodding to the girl.

"Huh? Oh, right…" Keigo realized, now blushing a little bit. "I'm Hyuuga Keigo."

The girl giggled a little. "Nice to meet you, I'm Tsumane Chieko," she answered.

"Chieko…" Keigo repeated softly. There was a slight silence, soon broken by Mizuiro.

"Ahem! Well, it's been nice to meet you, miss Chieko, but me and my friend must be going now. You have a nice day." Mizuiro began shoving Keigo off down the alley.

Chieko waved to them as they went. "Alright, and thank you again, Keigo!"

Keigo waved back slightly, still lost in thought. "No prob…"

Once they were out of sight of Chieko, Mizuiro stopped shoving, causing Keigo to fall right on his butt. "Hey!!"

"What the heck was that?!" Mizuiro demanded. "You'd think that you were in love with that girl!"

Keigo sat there, still thinking. "Well, I might as well be…"

"Don't go making trouble now, Keigo! You know our clan's rules about that sort of thing!" Mizuiro warned.

Keigo stood up, not facing Mizuiro. "Don't worry about me. I may be reckless, but I'm not stupid." He grinned over his shoulder before walking off.

Mizuiro watched him go. _That still doesn't make me feel any better about it…

* * *

_

_Over the next couple of months, Dad and Chieko "ran into" each other a whole lot. They were spending a lot of time together and getting to know each other better. Keigo mostly kept these meetings a secret, but Mizuiro still suspected him. Then one night…

* * *

_

"The stars are so beautiful out here…" Chieko commented, staring up into the night sky. The two of them were laying out on a small hill, a little ways outside the village. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"No prob," Keigo said, shrugging and still staring up at the night. "I thought it would be nice." There was a moment's silence as the two of them lay gazing at the heavens. Keigo rolled over onto his side. "Hey, Chii-chan," he said, calling Chieko by the pet name he had developed for her. "About this whole thing with… us."

Chieko rolled over to face him. "What about it?"

Keigo began fumbling around with something in his pocket. "Well… it's just that… we've been seeing each other for a while now and… well, I was wondering… that is to say…" He finally managed to pull an object from his pocket. "Well, you know what they say." He held up a small plain silver ring that gleamed softly in the starlight. "'Actions speak louder than words.'"

Chieko slowly took the ring and placed it on her finger, then leaned over and placed a kiss on Keigo's cheek. "Actions speak louder than words," she repeated softly.

Keigo's face burst into a grin. "So when are you free?" he asked. The hill echoed with the two lovers' laughter.

* * *

_Dad and Mom were married pretty soon after that. Yea, that's right. Chieko became my mom. They were married in secret and started a happy home together. But like all secrets, they have a habit of getting out…

* * *

_

Keigo kept a nonchalant attitude as he was escorted to the main branch compound. He knew perfectly well what this was all about. He tried striking up a conversation with his escorts. "So… nice weather we've had lately, doncha think?" The escorts completely ignored him, but that didn't stop Keigo. "I think it's been a bit dry myself, but there was this really nice breeze the other day… Oh, I guess we're here then?" They had stopped in front of larger structure in the center of the compound. The escorts moved to either side of the entrance and stood silently. "So I'm guessing I'm on my own from here?" No response. Keigo threw a salute to each of them. "Well, it's been a pleasure talking with ya. Better go see what the head wants…" Keigo shoved open the door and walked inside, shutting the door behind him.

Waiting there was the leader of the clan, Hyuuga Hiashi as well as a couple of the other higher up main branch members. Hiashi motioned for Keigo to come forward. Keigo did so, keeping up an outside look of not seeming to be bothered much. On the inside however, he was starting to feel a little nervous. He walked to within ten feet of the clan leaders and then stopped, waiting.

"Hyuuga Keigo," one of the main branch members said. "Do you know why you have been called here?"

"I have an idea…" Keigo said. "But I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway, so why don't you go ahead?"

The member made no reaction to Keigo's quip, but continued on anyway. "You have been summoned here for marrying outside the Hyuuga clan… without our express permission. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Keigo cocked his head. "What is there to say? Funny thing, love is. Sometimes it makes you do things that are completely insane. Though to be honest, what were the chances of you saying yes if I had asked permission? And if you had said no, I probably would've done it anyway. So this way was the least damaging in my opinion. You didn't say I could, but you didn't say I couldn't either."

There was silence from the situational judges for a moment. Then another one spoke. "Because of your reputation as a Hyuuga shinobi, we are willing to overlook this incident if you renounce the marriage."

Keigo looked at them in disbelief. "Doing that," he stated, "would be just a much a crime to myself as betraying the Hyuuga clan."

"Unfortunately in this case, it's one or the other."

Keigo stood there for a moment. Finally he answered. "No. I will not renounce the marriage. Because doing so would not only betray myself, but also the woman I love. This way, only I take the blame." He bowed to the leaders. "I am willing to receive any punishment you deem fit."

A bit more silence before Hiashi spoke. "Very well. Please wait here for our decision."

Keigo bowed again and remained bent down as the main branch members walked out. When he looked up, sweat was pouring down his face.

* * *

The discussion went on for almost an hour. The entire time, Keigo didn't move. He couldn't hear anything they were saying, but the argument went back and forth.

"You heard him! He chose his own way over that of the Hyuuga!"

"It's a difficult decision for any man to make. I believe he made the best choice he could. The way he said it confirmed that."

"He should be made an example of! So no one will think of doing this again!"

The entire time Hiashi remained silent. Finally when the argument reached a fever pitch, he broke in. "That's enough!" The room fell silent. "I cannot decide either way. I leave this up to you. I will not go against whatever decision you come to." With that, he walked out the opposite way that they had come in.

The argument was shortly finished after that. The remaining main branch members returned to the room. Keigo stood silently, awaiting their judgment. "Hyuuga Keigo, we recognize that your decision was made knowing the great risks it posed." Keigo relaxed a little bit. "However, that does not excuse the gravity of the decision. What you have done is unforgivable in the eyes of the Hyuuga clan. Therefore, it is our decision that you, and all your descendants hereafter, be exiled from the Hyuuga clan, to serve as an example to those in the future. You will be allowed to live normally with your wife outside the Hyuuga complex." The spokesperson nodded to the shadows and two guards appeared and restrained either of Keigo's arms. "You will be escorted off the grounds."

Keigo was somewhat relieved that this was all there was. However a few minutes later, he was confused again. "I thought you said I would be escorted off the grounds?" he asked. They had brought him to a secluded field, far away from any residential area, but still on the Hyuuga property.

"You will be…" the spokesperson said. Surprisingly, several of the main branch members had followed them as well. "Right after we finish here… since you are no longer a part of the Hyuuga clan, we certainly cannot allow you to bear the Kekkei Genkai of one."

Keigo stared at him. "What do you mean…?"

"It means that we are going to use the seal of the branch clan to lock away your Kekkei Genkai for good. I wouldn't be surprised if it destroyed your normal eyesight as well…"

Keigo just continued staring at him shock. "This wasn't part of the sentence…" he said.

"Ah, but now it is. But before we start, I want you to see the face of the one who brought this information to us." The spokesperson beckoned to another figure that stood in the shadows away from the group. They slowly walked forward.

Keigo's eyes widened. "You…?"

Mizuiro stood staring at the ground, saying nothing. The spokesperson grinned. "Yes, him. He was so helpful to us. Once he noticed the two of you were getting close, he came right away and reported it. None of this would be possible without him."

Up until this point, Keigo had perfectly fine with the punishment and all. He felt that it was what he deserved for going behind the clan's back and had somewhat expected it beforehand. But this new situation, with the added information that he had been turned in by his best friend (or so he had thought), quickly brought his attitude to the breaking limit. He strained against the two guards holding him, trying to get at Mizuiro. "So this is how it goes, huh!? We're friends and then you turn around and stab me in the back!?"

Mizuiro said nothing but remained staring at the ground. The spokesperson walked over and patted him on the back. "You may go now…" he said.

Mizuiro bowed to him. "Yes, Zurui-sama," he muttered and then walked away, not looking back once.

Zurui turned back to Keigo, a slight smile hovering around his face. "Now then, we've put this off long enough, haven't we? I don't think I need to tell you this might hurt…" Zurui formed a single handseal and then jabbed his fingers into Keigo's forehead, right where the mark of the branch clan was.

The cries echoed across the plain, but no one was within the distance to hear them…

* * *

_After that, Dad could no longer use his Kekkei Genkai, or his normal sight either. Heh, how's that for irony… The man who used to be able to see everything could now see nothing. Either way, he continued to live with and care for Chieko, until one day she finally got pregnant. Nine months later, she gave birth to their first child, but due to complications and the onset of illness soon afterwards, she died within a month. Dad, a blind man, was left to raise me alone…

* * *

_

"I never really knew my mother," Kaio said. "But from all that Dad talked about her, it feels like I did. Cheesy, I know…"

"The Hyuuga clan did that to him…?" Sakura said in disbelief. "That's horrible…"

Neji looked like he was about to say something, but Kaio intervened. "Eh, what's done is done. Dad knew it was coming. Anyway, it looks like the match is over..." He glanced down into the arena where Meki was helping herself to a victory stick of Pocky. "The next match should be the last one in the first round, if I'm right… And the only one who hasn't gone is…"

_**Haruno Sakura vs. Kochou Tome

* * *

**_

I lol for cliffhangers. Hopefully, that chapter made up for the wait. And I promise to not take as long on the next one…. I hope. Anyway, review my fair readers.


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